Sonny Rollins, saxophonist and restless genius of jazz, dead at 95
- On Monday, tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, known as the Saxophone Colossus, died at his Woodstock, New York home at age 95. Spokesperson Terri Hinte cited no specific cause but noted he had been largely housebound in recent years due to various physical problems.
- Pulmonary fibrosis forced Rollins into retirement after his final concert in 2012, though he had taken multiple lengthy hiatuses throughout his career, including a six-year sabbatical to practice meditation and Eastern spiritual disciplines after discovering Zen Buddhism in Japan.
- Rollins was acknowledged as a jazz voice as groundbreaking as John Coltrane, with whom he locked horns on 'Tenor Madness' in 1956; his 1956 album 'Saxophone Colossus' contained the blues improvisation 'Blue 7,' hailed by critics Gunther Schuller and Martin Williams as a jazz high water mark.
- Over a career stretching to the late 1940s, Rollins received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Kennedy Center Honors, and National Medal of Arts. Survivors include nephew Clifton Anderson and nieces Vallyn Anderson and Gabrielle DeGroat.
- Rollins told NPR his best work came when "playing completely spontaneous," rejecting what he called "the corporate culture" anathema to jazz, emphasizing instead "creation, freedom, thinking things out in the moment, like life is. A different sunset every night, that's what jazz is about.
156 Articles
156 Articles
Revered by the ability to improvise, Rollins was one of the last great living names of the bebop era and, together with John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, one of the most influential musicians of the saxophone.
Spirituality first delivered the saxophonist Sonny Rollin from heroin and then brought his tone the unbridled strength. Obituary to one who until the very last thought that he had to be able to say more.
![[your]NEWS](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgroundnews.b-cdn.net%2Finterests%2Ffb6dc495f74049f513563c33352175eaa0ecd509.jpg%3Fwidth%3D24&w=64&q=75){kind=small}
Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins Dies at 95, Leaving Behind a Legacy That Transformed Modern Music
Sonny Rollins, one of the most influential and celebrated jazz musicians in modern history, has died at the age of 95. The legendary saxophonist passed away at his home in Woodstock, New York, according to a statement released Monday by his publicist, bringing to a close a remarkable career that helped shape the sound and direction of jazz across multiple generations.
Miles Davis celebrated him as »the greatest tenor saxophonist of all time«, Barack Obama was inspired by his courage. Now jazz musician Sonny Rollins died at the age of 95.
The American saxophonist Sonny Rollins, one of the most influential names in jazz history, died on Monday, at the age of 95, at his home in New York. The information was confirmed by his agent, Terri Hinte, and disseminated on the musician's social networks. Known as the "Saxofone Colosseum," Rollins built a career of more than six decades marked by innovation, the sophisticated technique and the ability to reinvent the language of modern jazz.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 42% of the sources lean Left
![[your]NEWS](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgroundnews.b-cdn.net%2Finterests%2Ffb6dc495f74049f513563c33352175eaa0ecd509.jpg%3Fwidth%3D60&w=128&q=75)
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
