I just listened to a 10h French podcast radio show on Sonny Rollins (yes, 10x 1h, covering 1951-2001!!!). A torture, but I'm like that, I dive into an artist and I listen to everything, or almost. To have my own opinion. My opinion of Rollins is that he seems very overrated to me. As a player/improviser First of all as a player/improviser, he does not seem to me better than Johnny Griffin, Sonny Stitt, Roland Kirk, Phil Woods, Lateef, Pharoah Sanders, Hank Mobley... but enjoys a much greater notoriety... and unjustified in my opinion. Ok he plays well, but not better in my opinion than the musicians above. Listen to Eternal Triangle which puts Rollins and Stitt together. Here they are VERY evenly matched technique wise but it is Rollins who is the more famous today. There is a lot of study done on Rollins' solos and they are generally accepted to be examples of strong overall thematic construction and development. This somewhat implies that others just play randomly. I'm not entirely convinced by that argument. If you like it, its a strength, if you think its an excuse for repetition, you'd think not. As a composer At the level of the composition, he did not compose anything, everyone knows that his hit ''St Thomas'' is a Caribbean folklore already recorded by Randy Weston in 1955 under the title ''Fire Down There''. St Thomas is an example of cultural transference. It is infact originally The Lincolnshire Poacher. An old english folk tune. It was taken to the Carribean presumably on the slave ships but possibly even earlier by the pirate ships (appropriate given its title). It gets transmuted into a Carribean Folk tune and then Rollins recalls it from his childhood being sung by his mother and renames it after the Island. I had assumed St Thomas was what his mother called it, but your info would mean that might not be true. Interestingly the Ted Heath Band, a British Big Band of the 1950s had a big(ish) hit with 'The Lincolnshire Poacher' done presumably as a 'ripost' to St Thomas. His ''Tenor Madness'' is a composition by Kenny Clarke published in 1947 under the title ''Rue Chaptal''. His other compositions from the 50s... well, Oleo, Airegin etc... it can in no way be compared to the compositions of Trane, Bird, Monk or Shorter... One thing that always struck me that I've heard no one else mention is that the Alfie theme is merely a reworking of the intro to 'Singing In The Rain!' Sound and artistic vision I find this a curious aspect. Early on, in the 50s his sound was distinct enough but it became more distinctive later. It is an odd sound for tenor but its one I hear more and more players now using. I'm not quite sure how its done or if there is a physiological reason for it. I have found it to be an aquired taste. Moreover, his playing and his sound are terribly degraded after 1966 (36 years). Something happened on that bridge, he lost his mind. He seems to have been traumatized by the arrival of Ornette, Trane, Ayler... In the 60s he tried to be freer than Ayler, more calypso/blues than Ornette, and more mystical than Trane, but without succeeding because so superficial... Then in the 70s/80s he tried his hand at funk, disco... with really ridiculous and corny results... Did he want to be funkier than James Brown himself? More disco than Chic and Nile Rodgers? On ''SAIS'' from the ''Horn Culture'' album, one example among many, just picking up a random piece between 1966 and 2001....It's a shame. He plays out of tune, out of rhythm, with an absolutely disgusting sound. It is a lack of respect towards himself, the other musicians and the listener. No normally constituted musician would have agreed to let this recording be released. The problem with Rollins is that EVERYTHING IS LIKE THIS after 1966. He even said himself that he was high on marijuana when he recorded his solo album ''Soloscope'' at the Museum of Modern Art. from NYC...Also listen to the result, it's ridiculous and disrespectful towards the listeners... Ego and money Also, on the radio show, they say he was paid today's $300,000 for himself to record the Nucleus album (listen to the result!!!!), and that for his concerts, his Financial claims were unrealistic, only big festivals could afford it. He played with the Stones but didn't want to tour with them because, according to Mike Jagger himself, he wanted too much money! I am not making anything up here. In a blindfold test published in downbeat in 2006, he doesn't recognize ANY saxophonist, even taking James Carter for Don Byas! Totally mind-blowing and revealing! Conclusion In conclusion Sonny Rollins is for me the archetype of a narcissistic complacency encouraged by the fans and the milieu which has placed him on a throne since 1956 and his (very average) album ''saxophone colossus''. You have to be quite arrogant to glorify yourself as a ''saxophone colossus'' at 26 years old when BIRD had just died the previous year.
"sorry for the translation, I used a translator" In general, an interesting analysis. For me: As a player/improviser He is very interesting in the 50s and significantly better than Mobley, Stitt, Griffin and others named, some of which belong to the 1960s, which was already Clotrane's era. Generally, he is probably the most important and best tenor saxophonist of the 50s to me. His Saxophone Colossus (no worse than the later Coltrane albums from the Atlantic period), Plus 4 (better than most Davis-Coltrane Prestige and Columbia albums from the 50's), or Freedom Suite are for me the highest level of saxophone playing in the 50s. As a composer He is the author of relatively important, very good and often performed compositions. Certainly not the level of Monk, Parker or Benny Golson, but for example Coltrane - he was not an exceptional composer and Shorter is extremely overrated as an author in my opinion (I have a similar "aversion" to him as you to Rollins). Sound and artistic vision His masculine sound in the 50' is my favorite tenor sax sound (with Coltrane late period sound). You're absolutely right that his sound and playability dropped off significantly after the hiatus. His duet with Coleman Hawkins is unlistenable and his career as a whole has declined into something mediocre and unremarkable. His free jazz efforts lack the authenticity and naturalness of Coleman, Coltrane, or Dolphy. His pursuit of electricity is equally lackluster, Miles Davis and his colleagues are on a completely different level. His calypso, Latino, funk and disco are absolutely uninteresting to me. Conclusion For me, Rollins is the most impressive tenor saxophonist of the 1950s. He did not correctly grasp the new trends of the 60s. He lacks authenticity and everything plays somehow forced/unnatural, a huge difference from Coltrane or Davis. The last thing I'm willing to accept from Rollins is his collaboration with Jim Hall.
Yoshiaki Matsuo, Bobby Broom, electric guitars; Lincoln Goines, bass; Tommy Campbell, drums
His tone... Pure soul❤️😌
Wow
👍🏿👍🏿
Man a drip in sweat that Place must have been cold
I just listened to a 10h French podcast radio show on Sonny Rollins (yes, 10x 1h, covering 1951-2001!!!). A torture, but I'm like that, I dive into an artist and I listen to everything, or almost. To have my own opinion. My opinion of Rollins is that he seems very overrated to me.
As a player/improviser
First of all as a player/improviser, he does not seem to me better than Johnny Griffin, Sonny Stitt, Roland Kirk, Phil Woods, Lateef, Pharoah Sanders, Hank Mobley... but enjoys a much greater notoriety... and unjustified in my opinion. Ok he plays well, but not better in my opinion than the musicians above. Listen to Eternal Triangle which puts Rollins and Stitt together. Here they are VERY evenly matched technique wise but it is Rollins who is the more famous today. There is a lot of study done on Rollins' solos and they are generally accepted to be examples of strong overall thematic construction and development. This somewhat implies that others just play randomly. I'm not entirely convinced by that argument. If you like it, its a strength, if you think its an excuse for repetition, you'd think not.
As a composer
At the level of the composition, he did not compose anything, everyone knows that his hit ''St Thomas'' is a Caribbean folklore already recorded by Randy Weston in 1955 under the title ''Fire Down There''. St Thomas is an example of cultural transference. It is infact originally The Lincolnshire Poacher. An old english folk tune. It was taken to the Carribean presumably on the slave ships but possibly even earlier by the pirate ships (appropriate given its title). It gets transmuted into a Carribean Folk tune and then Rollins recalls it from his childhood being sung by his mother and renames it after the Island. I had assumed St Thomas was what his mother called it, but your info would mean that might not be true. Interestingly the Ted Heath Band, a British Big Band of the 1950s had a big(ish) hit with 'The Lincolnshire Poacher' done presumably as a 'ripost' to St Thomas. His ''Tenor Madness'' is a composition by Kenny Clarke published in 1947 under the title ''Rue Chaptal''. His other compositions from the 50s... well, Oleo, Airegin etc... it can in no way be compared to the compositions of Trane, Bird, Monk or Shorter... One thing that always struck me that I've heard no one else mention is that the Alfie theme is merely a reworking of the intro to 'Singing In The Rain!'
Sound and artistic vision
I find this a curious aspect. Early on, in the 50s his sound was distinct enough but it became more distinctive later. It is an odd sound for tenor but its one I hear more and more players now using. I'm not quite sure how its done or if there is a physiological reason for it. I have found it to be an aquired taste. Moreover, his playing and his sound are terribly degraded after 1966 (36 years). Something happened on that bridge, he lost his mind. He seems to have been traumatized by the arrival of Ornette, Trane, Ayler... In the 60s he tried to be freer than Ayler, more calypso/blues than Ornette, and more mystical than Trane, but without succeeding because so superficial... Then in the 70s/80s he tried his hand at funk, disco... with really ridiculous and corny results... Did he want to be funkier than James Brown himself? More disco than Chic and Nile Rodgers? On ''SAIS'' from the ''Horn Culture'' album, one example among many, just picking up a random piece between 1966 and 2001....It's a shame. He plays out of tune, out of rhythm, with an absolutely disgusting sound. It is a lack of respect towards himself, the other musicians and the listener. No normally constituted musician would have agreed to let this recording be released. The problem with Rollins is that EVERYTHING IS LIKE THIS after 1966. He even said himself that he was high on marijuana when he recorded his solo album ''Soloscope'' at the Museum of Modern Art. from NYC...Also listen to the result, it's ridiculous and disrespectful towards the listeners...
Ego and money
Also, on the radio show, they say he was paid today's $300,000 for himself to record the Nucleus album (listen to the result!!!!), and that for his concerts, his Financial claims were unrealistic, only big festivals could afford it. He played with the Stones but didn't want to tour with them because, according to Mike Jagger himself, he wanted too much money! I am not making anything up here. In a blindfold test published in downbeat in 2006, he doesn't recognize ANY saxophonist, even taking James Carter for Don Byas! Totally mind-blowing and revealing!
Conclusion
In conclusion Sonny Rollins is for me the archetype of a narcissistic complacency encouraged by the fans and the milieu which has placed him on a throne since 1956 and his (very average) album ''saxophone colossus''. You have to be quite arrogant to glorify yourself as a ''saxophone colossus'' at 26 years old when BIRD had just died the previous year.
"sorry for the translation, I used a translator"
In general, an interesting analysis.
For me:
As a player/improviser
He is very interesting in the 50s and significantly better than Mobley, Stitt, Griffin and others named, some of which belong to the 1960s, which was already Clotrane's era.
Generally, he is probably the most important and best tenor saxophonist of the 50s to me. His Saxophone Colossus (no worse than the later Coltrane albums from the Atlantic period), Plus 4 (better than most Davis-Coltrane Prestige and Columbia albums from the 50's), or Freedom Suite are for me the highest level of saxophone playing in the 50s.
As a composer
He is the author of relatively important, very good and often performed compositions. Certainly not the level of Monk, Parker or Benny Golson, but for example Coltrane - he was not an exceptional composer and Shorter is extremely overrated as an author in my opinion (I have a similar "aversion" to him as you to Rollins).
Sound and artistic vision
His masculine sound in the 50' is my favorite tenor sax sound (with Coltrane late period sound).
You're absolutely right that his sound and playability dropped off significantly after the hiatus. His duet with Coleman Hawkins is unlistenable and his career as a whole has declined into something mediocre and unremarkable.
His free jazz efforts lack the authenticity and naturalness of Coleman, Coltrane, or Dolphy.
His pursuit of electricity is equally lackluster, Miles Davis and his colleagues are on a completely different level.
His calypso, Latino, funk and disco are absolutely uninteresting to me.
Conclusion
For me, Rollins is the most impressive tenor saxophonist of the 1950s.
He did not correctly grasp the new trends of the 60s. He lacks authenticity and everything plays somehow forced/unnatural, a huge difference from Coltrane or Davis.
The last thing I'm willing to accept from Rollins is his collaboration with Jim Hall.
@@frantisekslaninka5430 interresting thank you!
You sure have lots of time on your hands!
@@WyattLite-n-inn not really
Shut up nerd