Sonny Rollins: Milestone Profile

SONNY ROLLINS
Milestone Profile

Milestone

Sonny Rollins has recorded for the Milestone label for the past 35 years, and is one of the label’s most visible and legendary artists. During that time he’s recorded some 25 albums—more than for any previous label. What’s more, he’s recorded them in a relatively uninterrupted stretch, without the sort of self-imposed hiatus that has always interrupted his recording career just when it reaches a peak. That many take these years and these albums for granted is perhaps to be expected: Rollins will always be remembered for albums like Saxophone Colossus and The Bridge, on which he redefined the tenor saxophone, linking the bebop of the 50s with the more progressive sounds of the 60s and beyond. Still, the selections here demonstrate that Rollins has never backed down and has never played at less than his potential in these later years. And, they certainly support the argument that he is one of the greatest living jazz musicians.

There’s a generous helping of the forceful, rhythmic Rollins that is demonstrated in his dramatic cadenzas and calypso-inflected spotlight pieces, elements that have always defined his work. The opening version of “Autumn Nocturne” is stunning, as Rollins spends most of the track playing solo with a ferocity that has long been associated with Rollins live. When the band comes in, featuring guitarist Aurell Ray and drummer Tony Williams, they help him take the piece home with no less intensity than he’s already worked up. “Duke of Iron” (from 1987’s Dancing In the Dark), "Global Warming" (from the 1998 album of the same name) and “Biji” (from 1995’s Sonny Rollins + 3) all bristle with the Caribbean fire that has become synonymous with Rollins.

But Rollins is also a gifted interpreter of ballads and standards, and that too is demonstrated on this Milestone collection. The version here of “The Tennessee Waltz” is tender and beautiful, as Rollins is accompanied by Jerome Harris on guitar, Mark Soskin on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. “Skylark” features pianist George Cables, with Cranshaw again on hand and David Lee on drums, and begins with another of Rollins’ well-crafted opening cadenzas. The all-but-forgotten song “The Moon of Manakoora” is gorgeously rendered by Rollins along with DeJohnette, Cranshaw, and pianist Stephen Scott. This ballad is taken from 2000’s This Is What I Do, one of Rollins’ strongest recent releases. The final track is a live rendition of “Why Was I Born?” recorded on September 15, 2001 and featured on the standout live disc Without A Song: The 9/11 Concert.

No one is going to argue that the music collected here is Rollins’ very best work of all time, but it stands next to his best work without any trace of inferiority and offers a glimpse into the versatility and maturity of this jazz legend.