As the pleasant abnormally- warm-for-May weather took hold of the day this morning, a notification from a Jazzwise social media cast a small shadow on the day. It was the news that Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins had passed away, aged 95, on 25th May at his home.
Aside from the obvious loss of another legend, this is a particularly sad passing as it means that every musician featured in the famous "Great Day in Harlem" photo has passed away, and that last of the great Modern Tenors has joined his colleagues in that jam session in the Sky.
Thinking back on my own journey into Jazz, I am fairly confident that Rollins was likely the first of the modern Tenors I heard. This would have been through a compilation marketed at the casual listener and novice called "The Only Jazz Album You Will Ever Need." This was not a bit intro for a newbie as it featured tracks by many of the big names including Louis Armstrong, Paul Desmond, Brubeck (post-Desmond), Miles, Oscar Peterson, Django Reinhardt, and of course Sonny. The track chosen was "God Bless the Child," and while now, as a 40something with much Jazz digested, I recognise it as a fantastic piece. Wet-behind-the-ears me had different ideas and it took me a while to warm to Rollins overall.
Over the next couple of weeks I will be delving into the Rollins catalogue and offering my two cents on them.
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