Posts Tagged Sonny Rollins
Archive
August 26, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
My New EBook: Selected Interviews (Vol. 1)
I’ve just published my new e-book – a selection of some of my favourite interviews. There are new essays and context-notes around each interview and the range of subjects takes in not just musicians but two pro-wrestlers, a filmmaker and a comedian. There are 15 conversations documented from living legends (Joan Baez, Ry Cooder, Mavis […]Archive
August 25, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Charli Persip
Charli Persip the legendary jazz drummer and teacher has died. He was 91. Hell of an innings. And what a player. Persip, born Charles, called “Charlie” but he changed the spelling in the 1980s to “Charli”, was a bandleader and educator. He was also on some of the greatest jazz albums you now and love […]Archive
June 23, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Rudresh Mahanthappa: Hero Trio
Rudresh Mahanthappa Hero Trio Whirlwind Recordings Rudresh Mahanthappa is a killer alto player – you’ve maybe heard his work with Vijay Iyer, that’s where I was first introduced to his sound. But he’s gone on to make over a dozen recordings under his own name and collaborate with other leading lights in modern jazz. Here […]Archive
November 1, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: We Bonded Over Sonny Rollins and Faith No More And Lenny Kravitz And So Much More
We lost a good one this week, a soldier no longer reporting for duty – his war over; he wore it as well as he could, I guess. If you asked me to take a guess on who might succumb – and how fucking gross and dumb – I might just have stammered his name. […]Archive
August 20, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 380
Sonny Rollins, The Sound of Sonny (1957) One of the earlier Sonny Rollins albums – his first for the Riverside label. Well he’d made several albums by this point, and all rather quickly, over a couple of years, but 1957 is a crucial, pivotal year. And I think of this as one of the earliest […]Archive
June 7, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Christian McBride’s New Jawn (June 6, Wgtn)
Christian McBride’s New Jawn Opera House, Wellington (8pm) Wednesday, June 6 Opening night of this year’s Jazz Festival saw a new thing (or “New Jawn”, in Philly-slang) from legendary bassist, band-leader and session-star across jazz and pop, Christian McBride.Archive
November 22, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Ben Riley
Ben Riley has died. He was 84. So, a good innings – sure. He was one of my favourite drummers. He is one of my favourite drummers. His playing – of course – lives on. So strong, so subtle, so supple, understated – and yet he was always right there, riding hard on the cymbal […]Archive
May 23, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Mickey Roker
It was sad to hear of the passing of the great jazz drummer, Mickey Roker. He was 84, he died of natural causes, he played drums his entire adult life – Roker worked with so many of the greats. He was a force, as a progressive bop drummer, as a legendary sideman. I have records […]Archive
January 29, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 756
Sonny Rollins, Freedom Suite (1958) I love Sonny Rollins – I think I really got hooked on him around the time of seeing that Ken Burns’ Jazz series; I knew about him beforehand and liked him, but the stories about him when I watched that series really stuck out, so I started buying up the […]Archive
June 24, 2015 by Simon Sweetman
Stubs: #96 – Sonny Rollins, Wellington, 2011
This gig was pretty special – obviously because it was Sonny Rollins, living jazz legend. But also, on a personal note, I had interviewed him; one of my all-time favourite interviews. I’m in two minds about this too – I have no recording of that interview. We spoke for over an hour, I can remember […]Archive
July 24, 2014 by Simon Sweetman