Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
Listen to an audio version of this review by Greg
My vinyl collection has been growing by the week! I think it was Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters album that got me started. I was drawn to the strange art on the album cover, and the songs were just soooooo abstract and different from anything I had heard at the time. I think it was 1992 when this took place. But several years later, something happened. I guess, perhaps, I got older? Today, I also crave the quiet more, whereas in 1992, I just wanted the volume to punch me in the face, hard.
I think it all started one Christmas, my love for jazz. I was lucky enough to work for a small company generous enough to gift its employees with a nice electronic toy for the holidays. I remember there were about 8 of us. We congregated for a late lunch at a Spanish restaurant. After a few drinks and some conversation, the gifts were presented. Everyone on the sales and recruiting team received a brand-new iPad as a thank you from the firm for a job well done. At the time, iPads were not as popular and inexpensive as they are today. But me? Did I get one? No sir. What was my gift? In the corner of the room sat a big boxy looking thing, wrapped in holiday paper. Everyone in the company was wondering what the hell I was gifted since they were all enjoying their newly opened iPads. For me? I was also puzzled. When I tore the gift wrapping off, when what to my wondering eyes did appear? A f****n record player.
Everyone in the room fell silent. They thought, was this a prank? Was this a mistake? Here they are all holding iPads questioning what had gone wrong with my gift, only to then witness my reaction and have their suspicions squashed. I can still hear them thinking with their faces, “Oh, Greg does want that…Hmmm. Ok…”
Yes, a record player, with a vintage look, a three-speed belt-driven turntable with minimum vibrations, modern features, and premium sound quality. Way better than any frickin iPad.
It was on this evening that I needed some accomplices for my newly acquired turntable. So, after dinner, instead of heading to bar number two to join the group for the next round, I went directly to the local record store. I do want to say normally in any other circumstance, I would go to the bar with my friends. But records,… jazz records were calling my name.
As I walked slowly through the jazz section of the Newbury Comics, I remember thinking, “I’m going to clean out this whole store”. I refrained from going that crazy, but I picked up what would later become some of my favorite albums that I own.
And so, this evening really began what would become a deep dive into jazz music which has now lasted more than 12 years. I know that does not sound like a long time, but I’m happy to be late to the party than to have never joined at all.
I think it’s important to explain the origin of my jazz tastes because to this day, I am not certain why a particular timeframe and genre of jazz, appeals to me more than others. If you play me any jazz record from 1956 to 1963, eh, maybe even 1964, I’M IN!!
It was this time period when jazz was really pioneering the music world. Yes, we already had Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley who were knocking down doors and being labeled as “too loud” or “too fast” or “too controversial” by the WWII generation. The late 1950s was the baby boom era. The Beatles hadn’t formed yet, so true rebellious music, “druggie music” hadn’t hit the United States yet.
That is where jazz comes in. If you listen to jazz music made in the late 50s, things start to get interesting. You had artists like John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Chet Baker, Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck. These musicians were doing something a little different. There was a true improvisation to their format. No rules. No limits. Just freehand. Well, this is in reference to the solos. For the backbeat was tightly held down by such drummers as Buddy Rich, Art Blakey, Gene Crupa and Max Roach. Their backbeat was complemented by bassists like Oscar Pettiford, Sam Jones, Paul Chambers and Charlie Mingus. These artists performed their magic so that leads like Coltrane and Miles could solo.
Yes, as jazz artists from this time continued to rise, there was one man in the back of the spotlight who was not on my radar until recently. Why? I don’t know. Probably because I have finally started digging deeper in the last three to four years and have experienced total bliss while doing so.
In the world of the saxophone, Coltrane comes to my mind first, but in 1949 there was a man from Sugar Hill in the neighborhoods of Harlem who played his first concert using his Tenor Saxophone. Walter Theodore “Sonny” Rollins, was born on September 7, 1930, in New York City. Sonny began his life in music playing the piano. He would later switch to the Alto sax and in 1946 made the decision to switch again to the Tenor saxophone. This decision would make Sonny one of the most well versed, Tenor sax jazz soloists in the world.
Not long after Sonny started to perform, he was arrested in 1950 for armed robbery and spent ten months in Rikers Island jail before being released on parole. In 1952, he was arrested again for violating the terms of his parole by using heroin. Heroin had become widely used among the jazz community. For many believed it opened their soul up to better improvisation and a better experience. For many, it led to a life of defeat, deterioration, divorce and even death. While Sonny battled between 1951 and 1953, he would go on to record with Miles Davis, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk.
Interestingly enough, Sonny would kick his heroin habit and go on to record 49 studio albums and 11 live albums. Sonny would also appear on 25 albums of other artists. As of 2022, at 91 years old, Sonny no longer performs.
I wanted to review what I think is Sonny’s greatest studio album (well, maybe you should be the judge). It’s Sonny’s sixth studio album, titled Saxophone Colossus. Recorded in one day on June 22, 1956 at Van Gelder Studios in Hackensack, NJ, Saxophone Colossus might be an obvious choice as a classic for most jazz fans. However, I’m doing this review today to let my listeners and readers in on a special treat, once again.
Sonny never formed a band in his own image, like Miles and Coltrane did. Sonny was a master improvisor. He always took the lead, which many would argue is the equivalent of a “ball hog” in basketball but others would argue, it was what drew listeners in. Sonny’s tone is so personal. His timing is perfect. His pauses are unadulterated. After pausing he comes rushing up behind the beat to catch up and guide the song again.
Apparently, there are different accounts as to when this album was released, which I found strange and interesting. Many sources I found noted 1956. Others mention 1957. This forced me to investigate more. Why would an album of such popularity and prestige have a mixed information regarding its release date?
Saxophone Colossus showcases Rollins as a trailblazer in jazz saxophone. The tenor sax to be precise. The artists who joined him included Tommy Flanagan (piano), Doug Watkins (bass) and Max Roach (drums). The album opens with St. Thomas which is a Caribbean calypso based on a song his mother used to sing to Sonny as a child called, "Hold him Joe". Calypso music has a distinctive syncopated 2/4 or 4/4 rhythm. Common calypso instruments include a drum set, Latin percussion (such as bongos, congas, and timbales), bass guitar, acoustic or electric guitars, trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and multiple vocalists. Think Santana, Widespread Panic, think even Gloria Estefan.
In the solo for St. Thomas, Rollins uses a rhythmic patter in repetition, then implements variations of that same pattern, covering only a few tones in a tight range, and employing what’s called staccato, which is a musical theory term referring to notes played in a shortened duration. Sonny also plays semi-detached notes, which to the naked ear do not sound very sophisticated, but if you play saxophone or any instrument you can hear them if you concentrate a little. Like most jazz, Sonny then improvises, going off into outer space and out to Pluto, before returning to the former pattern.
In his book The Jazz Style of Sonny Rollins, musical composer David Baker describes how Rollins, "very often uses rhythm for its own sake. He will sometimes improvise on a rhythmic pattern instead of on the melody or changes." Sonny’s use of calypso rhythms has been one of his key contributions to jazz. In later albums, he often performs traditional Caribbean tunes such as "Hold 'Em Joe" and "Don't Stop the Carnival," which will have anyone jump out of their chair and start dancing. One of many compliments I can give Latin music, is its undeniable ability to get anyone and everyone to move, regardless of musical taste. It just has a rhythm that is scientifically designed to get you moving.
The second track, You Don’t Know What Love Is, makes me think of what the soundtrack to my walk through New York City on a snowy night. You know those winter nights where it is not too cold, and the fresh air just clears your lungs? You have just the right jacket on, and the air almost gives you energy. You walk down 52nd Street and peek through the window of a night club. You can hear the sound of muffled music coming through the glass window and you can see 14 small cocktail tables covered with white tablecloths, a small burning candle in the middle of each table, and a rocks or martini glass being slowly caressed by each person sitting at these tables. As the cold New York winter wind begins to pick up, you gently slide in through the door, eyeing the hostess, you take off your coat as she points you to an empty table, the only one left in the place. Playing on the stage 10 feet in front of you in this darkened candle lit space is Sonny Rollins. And he’s here tonight to lull you with his saxophone and make all your troubles disappear….
Many friends and fellow musicians have noted how important meditation was to Sonny. He would meditate each night before going on stage. Clearing his mind opened up more room to improvise. There’s something to be said about music with no words. It leaves the listener to his or her imagination. As much as you may not be able to tell what the artist was thinking when they wrote the song, a song void of lyrics leaves so much extra space. It leaves so much room for interpretation. Isn’t that healthy sometimes? Maybe not all the time, I get it. We need some sort of structure in music every once in while so we can be guided. But when you listen to jazz, your mind is being given permission to go wherever it wants to go. THAT is freedom.
Sonny also finds a way to incorporate calypso in the next track on Saxophone Colossus the fast bebop track titled, Strode Rode. In case you’re wondering, in most copies you see today of this album, they list this track as Strode Rode – Rudy Van Gelder Remaster. I dug deep trying to figure out the significance of the addition to the title, and found it was simply because original Producer Rudy Van Gelder remastered the track in 2006. Plain and simple. This song holds a much faster tempo and showcases the band more as a whole unit working together. Doug Watkin’s bass and Max Roach’s drums really drive the song, taking in several different directions, then later enabling the foundation for Sonny to solo over. Sonny takes several pauses to allow Tommy Flanagan to shine on his piano. Once again, it becomes clear, crystal clear by this track Sonny has compiled an All-Star cast for this album.
The fourth track, Moritat drove me insane the first time I listened to it, only because it’s opening takes from a song I’d known in my head for years but could not put my finger on. Did you hear it? You pick up on it? Well maybe not? Then it hit me. Sonny teases the opening of Moritat with the melody of German composer Kurt Weill’s hit, Mack the Knife which I found was written all the way back in 1928 by Weill but the song definitely had legs. My most vivid memory, which I’ll never forget is hearing the song featured on a McDonald’s commercial for the Big Mac, which originally aired throughout 1987 and 1988. See?! We never forget these things that we hear when we are kids. Probably because life hasn’t kicked us in the ass yet and we still have a lot of space to fill in our heads.
Anyways,……the fourth and final track on the album, Blue 7, is an eleven-minute composition written by Rollins. This was not a cover. A.B. Spellman from NPR noted in a 1986 documentary about Sonny also titled, Saxophone Colossus that Blue 7 is, “…important for more than one reason. The long-playing format that took over in the '50s permitted extended development, and Blue 7 was one of the first truly great long explorations by a small group. It is truly a masterpiece of improvised composition”. Like the title hints, this is a blues song. In 1958, composer and writer Gunther Shuller published an article and music review praising Rollins on Blue 7 for “the use of motivic development exploring and developing melodic themes throughout his three solos, so that the piece is unified, rather than being composed of unrelated ideas”. This is certainly more evidence and backup to what many said Sonny could do better than most jazz musicians.
Sonny Rollins was/is, in my mind, the grandfather or the grand “poohbah” of saxophone. Before I’d heard of Sonny, I thought the sax was all about Coltrane. But Coltrane learned from Sonny. He was influenced by Sonny. Coltrane and Sonny actually played and recorded together for the title track of Rollins' 1956 album, Tenor Madness, which is the only known recording of the two saxophone heroes playing together.
As his career grew, Sonny started working on physical fitness and realized he had to be in shape to be a good tenor player. Sometimes even if you know what you’re playing it won’t come out of the tenor. That observation was news to me and gave me greater appreciation for the tenor sax.
Sonny would also frequently comment in interviews, “When I’m soloing, I try not to think about what I’m playing. I just try to let it come out. Create and see what happens”.
At some concerts he’d leave the stage while in the middle of playing. He used to say, “Music is a process of communication between the musician and the audience”. Many times he’d walk off the stage continuing to play and walk through the audience to get their reaction. One concert in 1986, Sonny jumped off the stage, broke his heel, but kept playing while lying on his back. You can actually see this in the documentary titled the same, Saxophone Colossus. If you’re feeling inspired, you can find the documentary here.
The Sonny Rollins saga takes a unique, fascinating turn in 1959. Sonny dropped out of the jazz scene and decided to do something totally different. Each day, he would climb up onto the Williamsburg Bridge in New York City and practice alone. He did this for three years from 1959 to 1961, up to 16 hours a day, which is just mind-boggling! Name me another famous musician who did this? I found an interview Sonny did with The Guardian Magazine published January 2022 where Sonny says, “What made me withdraw and go to the bridge was how I felt about my own playing. I knew I was dissatisfied.”
On a daily basis, rain or shine, Sonny climbed the steep iron steps of the Williamsburg Bridge, which was only two blocks from his Manhattan apartment. He also told The Guardian Magazine he was “thrilled by the space, light and noisy solitude they led to”. The article goes on to highlight, “Rollins was 28 and already one of the undisputed giants of the subtle and sophisticated modern-jazz advances known as bebop that had taken off in the 40s. Even though Miles, Coltrane and Ornette Coleman were closing in on him in terms of developing radical new approaches to how melody, harmony and rhythm could dance spontaneously together, Sonny kept playing every day on that bridge.
Many passersby on the foot might not have even known who they were listening to, and just kept walking. Some historians claim they remember seeing and hearing Sonny on that bridge, creating what John Fordham, writer for The Guardian described as “an astonishing tumult of fast tumbling runs seeming to echo the chatter of the wheels on the subway tracks, honking low-tone exclamations exchanged with the hoots of the riverboats, snatches of blues, pop hits, classical motifs, calypsos”. Fordham goes on to write, “Few witnesses to those torrential monologues will have shrugged him off as just another busker; this was an intuitive master of his instrument who, for some reason, had chosen to tell this multitude of stories to the sky instead of a rapt roomful of fans”.
In 2017, Saxophone Colossus was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant".
I wanted to revisit the question of when was this album released? Many publications have differed in their reporting of on this topic. According to The Mojo Collection, a popular music magazine out of the UK it was released in the autumn of 1956. AllMusic, an American online music database also lists its release year as 1956. AllMusiccatalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on bands and musicians.
In contrast, an August 1957 issue of Billboard Magazine listed Saxophone Colossus among records released in the period between March 16 and July of that same year.
In a previous podcast, I interviewed Author and Music Historian, Bryan O’Connor. In Bryan’s book, For The Record, My 1,000 Favorite albums from 1957 to 2017, Bryan has a chapter titled “Victims of the Rules” where he lists 6 of what he called the best albums ever made, PRE: 1957. Incredibly out of +1000 albums, he lists Saxophone Colossus as one of these six, while in the company of albums such as Sarah Vaughan’s self-titled album from 1954, Frank Sinatra’s, In the Wee Small Hours from 1955 and Elvis Presley’s self-titled album from 1956. Not too bad I must say. Bryan lists the release year as indeed 1956. So maybe that solves our little puzzle? Of course, this superb ranking position is Bryan’s opinion, but you HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK. Go to the BOOKSTORE at ALBUMREVIEW.NET and pick up a copy. If you’re a music nerd, you MUST add it to your collection, I’m serious…go…!
Getting back to Sonny, he noted in many interviews that he never felt he was the greatest. He felt like he was always developing. When he was young, he felt his soloing and his playing would change the world. He admits he doesn’t have these emotions anymore but as he was still playing into his 80s, he just wanted to bring enjoyment to himself and to the audience and listeners.
Virtually unstoppable, Rollins continued to play into his 80s. He would eventually succumb to the effects of the rare lung-scarring disease called pulmonary fibrosis. In 2014, Sonny finally hung up his sax, for good. He told The Guardian, “In my case, I couldn’t play at all. Blowing the horn made me sick. Believe me, I tried to play for a long time before I realized I just couldn’t play anymore”.
If you like Coltrane, hell if you like jazz, Sonny Rollins is a must. It’s a rite of passage. When listening to Saxophone Colossus, Sonny’s control, his timing and his phrasing is so compelling that you understand him. Sonny’s a communicator. He tells a story in his tenor playing. For many, many jazz artists and reviewers claim Sonny as the greatest living Tenor player.
Jazz music has become a drug for me, literally. I mean it. I’m serious! I still work long hours in a stressful job and in addition to exercise and meditation, jazz music has become medicine for me. The statistics do not lie. It has proven to lower my stress and provide comfort 100% of the time I have used it as a go-to. I encourage you to listen to Sonny’s Saxophone Colossus. If you are growing your vinyl collection, I strongly recommend getting the record. Digital will do, but the crisp, traditional sound of a record I guarantee makes you feel warmer inside.
Along with this record, get your very own Victrola Aviator 8-in-1 Bluetooth Record Player & Multimedia Center with Built-in Stereo Speakers - 3-Speed Turntable, Vinyl to MP3 Recording & Wireless Music Streaming
