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Sonny Rollins

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Early Life Born September 7, 1930 in NYC Played tenor sax in high school and rehearsed

with jazz legends

Recorded with Babs Gonzales, Bud Powell, and

J.J. Johnson at 18

Sonny and Miles Davis

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Playing style and the 1950s

Studied in Chicago with percussionist Ike Day toimprove his rhythmic conception of saxophone

Composed three famous pieces while recording

with Davis in 1954Oleo, Doxy, Airegin

Thematic approach to soloing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcPxCQhJ2n4 Doxy (1954)Miles Davis Quintet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3WfRlyUKv8Y#t=58s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjI8ruaL4D0

Blue Train (1957)- John Coltrane,

Sonny's contemporary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcPxCQhJ2n4http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3WfRlyUKv8Yhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjI8ruaL4D0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjI8ruaL4D0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjI8ruaL4D0http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3WfRlyUKv8Yhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3WfRlyUKv8Yhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcPxCQhJ2n4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcPxCQhJ2n4

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Gaining momentum

Joined Max Roach in the Clifford Brown Quintet in 1955 Recorded Valse Hot

Saxophone Colossus (1956)

St. Thomas

Calypso beat

Pianoless Trio

Way Out West (1957)

A Night at the Village Vanguard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA2XIWZxMKM St. Thomas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZazZYmjOOF0 Weaver of Dreams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA2XIWZxMKMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZazZYmjOOF0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZazZYmjOOF0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA2XIWZxMKM

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Sabbaticals

19591961Practiced by himself on theWilliamsburg Bridge

Introspective on his playing

1962Released The Bridge

Quartet

Worked with Latin music, avant-garde,

and classic American standards

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1970s and Onward

1972Back to performing

Became interested in Funk and R&B

Use of electric instruments - Jazz Fusion

Performed as a solo artist with no accompaniment

1985Solo Album

Height of his creative personality

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXh7xc2bckM East Broadway Rundown

I like to think there is a direct link between early

jazz and jazz of any time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXh7xc2bckMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXh7xc2bckM

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Bibliography

Tirro, Frank, Jazz, a History,(W.W. Norton and Company, NewYork, 1993)

Carr, Ian, Fairweather, Digby, Priestley, Brian, The Rough

Guide to Jazz, (Penguin Books, London, 2004)

Gioia, Ted. The History of Jazz. New York: Oxford UP,

1998. Print.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOJupvfRU-c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOJupvfRU-c

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