Sonny Rollins Quartet – live at Pori Jazz Festival 1979 – Pori, Finland – July 13, 1979 – YLE- Finland –
The Sonny Rollins Quartet – live at the Pori Jazz Festival in Finland on July 13, 1979 and broadcast by the Finnish Radio network YLE.
With all the insanity and stress these past several weeks, almost missing celebrating Sonny Rollins’ milestone 90 seems unthinkable. An artist whose music has brought countless hours of contemplation, serenity and outright joy over the years. Has provided an endless source of inspiration and solace and who continues to be an influence for scores of musicians.
Rollins began playing at an early age, learning both piano and alto sax before switching to tenor at 16. Within five years, he found himself cutting records with jazz greats such as Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, in addition to recording his own material as a bandleader. In 1956, he released his landmark album Saxophone Colossus, which is widely considered to rank among the finest jazz discs of the era. Never content to remain in stasis, Rollins’ records in the ’60s and ’70s explored new and diverse styles of music, incorporating Latin, R&B, pop and funk rhythms into his signature sound. More than most of his contemporaries, Rollins remained relevant in the ’80s and ’90s, continuing to release interesting and intensely melodic records that saw him make a graceful transition into one of jazz’s elder statesmen.
Joined by Mark Soskin on keyboards, Jerome Harris on bass and Al Foster on drums in this festival performance from 1979 Sonny Rollins is a true jazz legend, a sax player with a six-decade career and a giant who’s outlasted the giants he played with: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk and Bud Powell.
So maybe a little late, but you don’t need a birthday to celebrate Sonny Rollins – hit the Play button, relax and forget about the world currently around you.
Enjoy.
