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Sonny Rollins
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins grew up in Harlem, where Coleman Hawkins lived nearby; Hawkins and Charlie Parker were his models. As a teenager he already played with Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell. In 1956 he recorded Saxophone Colossus, with St. Thomas, a calypso that refers to his Caribbean family. Rollins is known for thematic improvisation: in his solo he develops a small motif from the theme. On Way Out West (1957) he played without piano, with only bass and drums. In 1959 he withdrew from the scene and practised at night on the Williamsburg Bridge. In 1967 he played in the Netherlands with Han Bennink. He died in 2026, aged 95.
Listening
St. Thomas · Sonny Rollins, 1956- Blue 7 · Sonny Rollins, 1956
I'm an Old Cowhand · Sonny Rollins, 1957
Blue Room · Sonny Rollins, 1967
Discography
Studio albums
- 1954Blows for LP
- 1956Dig
- 1956Moving Out
- 1956Sonny Rollins Plus 4
- 1956Sonny Rollins With the Modern Jazz Quartet
- 1956Work Time
- 1957Saxophone Colossus
- 1957Sonny Rollins, Volume 1
- 1957Sonny Rollins, Volume 2
- 1957The Sound of Sonny
- 1957Way Out West
- 1958Duets
- 1958Freedom Suite
- 1958Sonny Rollins and the Big Brass
- 1958Tour de Force
- 1959Newk’s Time
- 1959Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders
- 1959Sonny Side Up
- 1961Sonny Boy
- 1962Shadow Waltz
- 1962The Bridge
- 1962What’s New?
- 19633 in Jazz
- 1963Sonny Meets Hawk!
- 1964Now’s the Time!
- 1965Sonny Rollins on impulse!
- 1965The Standard Sonny Rollins
- 1966Alfie (soundtrack)
- 1966East Broadway Run Down
- 1968Sonny Rollins With the Modern Jazz Quartet
- 1972Sonny Rollins’ Next Album
- 1973Horn Culture
- 1975Nucleus
- 1977Easy Living
- 1977The Way I Feel
- 1978Pure Gold Jazz
- 1979Don’t Ask
- 1980Love at First Sight
- 1982No Problem
- 1982Reel Life
- 1984Sunny Days, Starry Nights
- 1987Dancing in the Dark
- 1989Falling in Love With Jazz
- 1991Here’s to the People
- 1992Oleo
- 1993Old Flames
- 1996Sonny Rollins + 3
- 1998Global Warming
- 2000This Is What I Do
- 2001Toot Toot Tootsie
- 2006Sonny, Please
- 2016Sonny Rollins, Coleman Hawkins: Together at Newport 1963
- 2020Rollins in Holland
- ?Bossa Nova
- ?Happy 90th
Other work
- 1957A Night at the Village Vanguard
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Jazz MapNL Map
- After Hours: Session 2NL Reader
- After Hours: Session 3NL Reader