Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins
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- Author：Aidan Levy
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Summary
The long-awaited first full biography of legendary jazz saxophonist and composer Sonny Rollins Sonny Rollins has long been considered an enigma。 Known as the “Saxophone Colossus，” he is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz improvisers of all time， winning Grammys， the Austrian Cross of Honor， Sweden’s Polar Music Prize and a National Medal of Arts。 A bridge from bebop to the avant-garde， he is a lasting link to the golden age of jazz， pictured in the iconic “Great Day in Harlem” portrait。 His seven-decade career has been well documented， but the backstage life of the man once called “the only jazz recluse” has gone largely untold—until now。
Based on more than 200 interviews with Rollins himself， family members， friends， and collaborators， as well as Rollins’ extensive personal archive， Saxophone Colossus is the comprehensive portrait of this legendary saxophonist and composer， civil rights activist and environmentalist。 A child of the Harlem Renaissance， Rollins’ precocious talent landed him on the bandstand and in the recording studio with Bud Powell， Thelonious Monk， Charlie Parker， Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie， or playing opposite Billie Holiday。 An icon in his own right， he recorded Tenor Madness， featuring John Coltrane; Way Out West; Freedom Suite， the first civil rights-themed album of the hard bop era; A Night at the Village Vanguard; and the 1956 classic Saxophone Colossus。
Yet his meteoric rise to fame was not without its challenges。 He served two sentences on Rikers Island and won his battle with heroin addiction。 In 1959， Rollins took a two-year sabbatical from recording and performing， practicing up to 16 hours a day on the Williamsburg Bridge。 In 1968， he left again to study at an ashram in India。 He returned to performing from 1971 until his retirement in 2012。
The story of Sonny Rollins—innovative， unpredictable， larger than life—is the story of jazz itself， and Sonny’s own narrative is as timeless and timely as the art form he represents。 Part jazz oral history told in the musicians’ own words， part chronicle of one man’s quest for social justice and spiritual enlightenment， this is the definitive biography of one of the most enduring and influential artists in jazz and American history。
Based on more than 200 interviews with Rollins himself， family members， friends， and collaborators， as well as Rollins’ extensive personal archive， Saxophone Colossus is the comprehensive portrait of this legendary saxophonist and composer， civil rights activist and environmentalist。 A child of the Harlem Renaissance， Rollins’ precocious talent landed him on the bandstand and in the recording studio with Bud Powell， Thelonious Monk， Charlie Parker， Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie， or playing opposite Billie Holiday。 An icon in his own right， he recorded Tenor Madness， featuring John Coltrane; Way Out West; Freedom Suite， the first civil rights-themed album of the hard bop era; A Night at the Village Vanguard; and the 1956 classic Saxophone Colossus。
Yet his meteoric rise to fame was not without its challenges。 He served two sentences on Rikers Island and won his battle with heroin addiction。 In 1959， Rollins took a two-year sabbatical from recording and performing， practicing up to 16 hours a day on the Williamsburg Bridge。 In 1968， he left again to study at an ashram in India。 He returned to performing from 1971 until his retirement in 2012。
The story of Sonny Rollins—innovative， unpredictable， larger than life—is the story of jazz itself， and Sonny’s own narrative is as timeless and timely as the art form he represents。 Part jazz oral history told in the musicians’ own words， part chronicle of one man’s quest for social justice and spiritual enlightenment， this is the definitive biography of one of the most enduring and influential artists in jazz and American history。
Reviews
Robert H
，
Wow， just wow！ Saxophone Colossus is a mammoth effort by Aidan Levy who spent seven years of his life researching and writing this +700 page biography about one of the greatest jazz improvisers ever to record or perform on stage。 I learned so much about Sonny but also about jazz history since Sonny knew and interacted with so many jazz artists who are mentioned here extensively in this book。 I learned even more just how much of a perfectionist Sonny was with his music， always searching for “that Wow， just wow！ Saxophone Colossus is a mammoth effort by Aidan Levy who spent seven years of his life researching and writing this +700 page biography about one of the greatest jazz improvisers ever to record or perform on stage。 I learned so much about Sonny but also about jazz history since Sonny knew and interacted with so many jazz artists who are mentioned here extensively in this book。 I learned even more just how much of a perfectionist Sonny was with his music， always searching for “that lost chord” as Levy writes， Sonny had an insatiable desire for improvement， both on his horn and spiritually。 Truly Sonny Rollins is a complete human being and reading this book provided further proof as to why I’ve always greatly admired him。 Highly recommended and you’ll come away from reading this book with a beautiful perspective on Sonny， go seek out a copy right away！ 。。。more
Steve
，
“Sonny Rollins， man！” Wynton Marsalis has rarely been at a loss for words， but backstage June 4， 1983， at the Beacon Theater in New York City where he had just been treated to a demonstration of improvisational skill and ideas by the great tenor saxophonist， this was all he could say。 The onstage meeting of the legendary performer， then age 52， and the fresh-faced young lion trumpeter， then age 22， takes place a little past the half-way point of this monumental new biography of Rollins。Aidan Lev “Sonny Rollins， man！” Wynton Marsalis has rarely been at a loss for words， but backstage June 4， 1983， at the Beacon Theater in New York City where he had just been treated to a demonstration of improvisational skill and ideas by the great tenor saxophonist， this was all he could say。 The onstage meeting of the legendary performer， then age 52， and the fresh-faced young lion trumpeter， then age 22， takes place a little past the half-way point of this monumental new biography of Rollins。Aidan Levy wrote a previous biography of Lou Reed， which I’m now curious to read。 This new book is as detailed a chronological story of a musician’s life as you can find。 For a long time， I was convinced Levy was going to mention every single place and approximate date Rollins played or recorded。 I was kind of looking forward to seeing the shows I saw included – the 1985 Webster College appearance is at least mentioned， but his appearance at Mississippi Nights a few years later， and the one at the Touhill Performing Arts Center in 2009 don’t make the cut。But Saxophone Colossus is much more than a list of names and dates。 Built on meticulous research into virtually every article ever written about the great man， along with interviews with Rollins himself and as many people who played with him or knew him as could be rounded up alive in the last seven years， not to mention access to letters and papers written by Rollins and his wife Lucille， this book explores the musical and spiritual development of a magnificent musician across the first 92 years of his life。 Though Rollins has not been able to play his horn for over ten years， thanks to pulmonary fibrosis which could very well have been triggered by the toxic air he breathed in for two days after 9/11/01 when he lived six blocks from the World Trade Center， he has continued to grow as a person。 For Rollins， the golden rule found in so many religious sources is a constant goal。For as long as he was playing tenor saxophone， though， his other goal was to reach the space in music that he felt he never quite accomplished。 As I said， I saw him play three times。 Two of those performances included half-hour long single tunes in which the man played chorus after chorus after chorus， breaking through to a place where music transcends time and space to become pure ecstasy。 Levy quotes enough musicians and critics throughout the course of this book to imply that those times I saw him were more in the middle than near the peak of his concert performances。 There were nights when he could lead his band for four hours without coming close to earth。 That level of playing was what led Marsalis to run out of word choices。Of course， while transcendent performances can live in our memories， Rollins is best known to most people through the 45 studio albums he made as a leader， and the 15 live records， and the 24 albums on which he appeared as a sideman， not to mention the three songs he played with the Rolling Stones on Tattoo You。 For years， the records he made in the 1950s – Dig and Bags’ Groove by Miles Davis; Clifford Brown & Max Roach at Basin Street， Max Roach + 4 and Jazz in ¾ Time by Max Roach; Brilliant Corners by Thelonious Monk: and his own Tenor Madness， Saxophone Colossus， Way Out West， and Freedom Suite， among many others – were considered the peak of his powers。 Levy doesn’t deny their greatness。 Nobody possibly could。 But while acknowledging circumstances which made later work less consistent， he makes a case that Rollins was always able to achieve remarkable things in the studio， if not as remarkable as he could do on stage。 It’s impossible to ccount the number of times Rollins himself is quoted as feeling his records， even his live performances， weren’t nearly as good as he wanted them to be。 I’ve listened to an assortment of random Rollins records in the last couple weeks that I had ignored or dismissed in the past， and there is some terrific music still waiting to be discovered or rediscovered。Rollins had a relatively middle class upbringing in New York City during the 30s and 40s， and was able to see many of the great jazz musicians of that time living near the several homes in which he grew up。 He was always a workhorse as a player – if somebody had kept track， I’m reasonably sure he would be in the Guinness Book of World Records with the largest number of hours spent practicing in a single lifetime。 After he broke into the jazz world， and after his father was unceremoniously court martialed out of the Navy for the crime of dancing with a white woman， Rollins’ obsessive personality turned for ten years towards heroin。 Levy does not turn away from the downsides of this period in Rollins’ career， during which time his playing continued to get better as his life became unstable and disordered。 At one time he was sentenced to prison for participating in a robbery。 The chapters covering this time are depressing to read， though I knew there would be a breakthrough at some point。 He then became obsessive about leading a clean life， and substituted his addiction to drugs with a life-long practice of yoga。The search to constantly improve， even when it was obvious to everybody else that Sonny Rollins was the greatest improvising musician alive， makes for a fascinating biography。 Levy also throws in some sharp analysis of the music， sometimes from himself， sometimes from Rollins， and frequently from other musicians along the way。 Rollins didn’t participate heavily in political concerns， though his “Freedom Suite” was an explicit musical commentary on the Civil Rights movement and he eventually wrote a piece called “Global Warming” that was one of his most played in the last dozen or more years of his career。 Levy makes sure to put Rollins in the context of political times around him， without moving focus away from Rollins himself。 This is a close look at a major musician， which kept me learning more and more until nearly the last page。 The last sentence of the penultimate chapter is one which probably makes every other musical biographer jealous。 。。。more
Dan
，
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Hachette Books for the an advanced copy of this magisterial biography on a true legend and leader in music history。 Some people are destined to for greatness， but only a few except their greatness and never let it ruin them， always practicing， always seeking， never letting the ego infect what makes them great。 Sonny Rollins， saxophone player， influencer， teacher， band leader， student and master is one of these people。 A man who practiced everyday， so My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Hachette Books for the an advanced copy of this magisterial biography on a true legend and leader in music history。 Some people are destined to for greatness， but only a few except their greatness and never let it ruin them， always practicing， always seeking， never letting the ego infect what makes them great。 Sonny Rollins， saxophone player， influencer， teacher， band leader， student and master is one of these people。 A man who practiced everyday， sometimes for hours， dealing with health issues， addiction， racism， and his own sense of worth and critical view of his own performances an talents。 For over seventy years Rollins has blown his horn with a power and assuredness that many could never contemplate， blowing younger talents， sometimes with bigger mouths than skills， off the stage while giving back as much as Rollins felt he received。 Rollins has seen friends， comrades， brothers and sister， lovers and others transition to another world， while he remains with his music his only constant。 Aidan Levy in his book Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins has captured not just the life of this man， but the soul of this positive creative genius one that will shine on， as long as music is listened to。Walter Theodore Rollins was born in the year 1930， in the city of New York， the youngest of three children to a West Indian family。 Talent ran in the family， as all of the siblings played music and did well academically， except for Rollins who had more of a taste of the street and people than books and learning。 After high school， Rollins began to play out more and more with his saxophone， moving from alto to tenor， and winning spots in bands， and recording with jazz luminaries like Bud Powell， a lifelong friend， and Fats Navvaro。 However Rollins was also picking up bad habits， such as heroin， which led to some poor decisions， and jail time in 1950。 Losing his ability to play shows in New York because of his police record， Rollins began to travel and developing his style and finally try to beat heroin for good。 Slowly he began to make his name appearing on Best of lists for both his style and his albums。 And Rollins was only getting started。 I could go on， as Sonny Rollins has lived a life in full， with ups downs， and magic moments， all covered in this amazing book。 I can not remember the last time I was this enthralled in a biography， nor felt that I learned so much， not just about the subject， but by the world he inhabited。 So much more than jazz is covered in this book。 Religion， social issues， racism， poverty， prison and drug laws。 Levy has done a fantastic job of research， bringing together Rolllins， his inner and outer world， his creativity， and those that helped bring it out of him。 The book is wonderfully sourced， and the writing is really quite good。 There was never a time I felt overwhelmed or thought， why are we talking about the Rosicrucians， what does this have to do with Sonny Rollins。 Well everything。 Levy presents the whole man， when he makes mistakes， mean， addicted， wrong， right， and at peace。 For jazz fans， and for people who like books on music。 This is also a biography for people who love to read about complicated， gifted people， who accomplish great things。 There is so much in here， so many good stories， so many sad stories。 Sonny Rollins has lived an incredible life， I am glad that he found a biographer good enough to capture it。 I can't wait to read more by Aidan Levy， and lister more to Sonny Rollins。 。。。more
Martin
，
This is one of the best biographies I’ve ever read。 Not just a narrative of the life of Sonny Rollins， but rather an immersion into the life of one of the greatest musicians ever。 Highly recommended
Steven
，
This is a monumental bio of a great musician。 The cultural context which it is set in provides a deep and moving picture of life in the 50's as it was for black musicians。 This one of the best bios of a musician I have ever read。 Mr。 Levy has done a magnificent job。 For any jazz or music fan this is a must read。 This is a monumental bio of a great musician。 The cultural context which it is set in provides a deep and moving picture of life in the 50's as it was for black musicians。 This one of the best bios of a musician I have ever read。 Mr。 Levy has done a magnificent job。 For any jazz or music fan this is a must read。 。。。more
Holly Taggart
，
Excellent read！ Excellent overview of the music of Sonny Rollins！Aiden Levy has done a very thorough review of the life and music of Sonny Rollins。 I am not quite sure how he did it， but he seems to review almost every performance （clearly he couldn't have） sharing all sorts of small details that make the scene come alive for the reader。 As I read， I found myself going to look up different performers， and actual performances on youtube just to see exactly what the author was writing about。 I gr Excellent read！ Excellent overview of the music of Sonny Rollins！Aiden Levy has done a very thorough review of the life and music of Sonny Rollins。 I am not quite sure how he did it， but he seems to review almost every performance （clearly he couldn't have） sharing all sorts of small details that make the scene come alive for the reader。 As I read， I found myself going to look up different performers， and actual performances on youtube just to see exactly what the author was writing about。 I grew up in a household that loved jazz- and early on knew who Monk， Coletrane and Ornette were， but I have to say the name Sonny Rollins was often tossed around as if he was kind of an afterthought， "Of course Sonny Rollins was there。" The book expanded my knowledge about Rollins and the development of modern jazz and also my knowledge of the political/racial climate through Sonny's personal experiences。 While Levy touches on these topics-with clear explanations， the book itself does not fall into a treatise on social justice or political will， it merely points out the issues at hand that informed the jazz of the day， and how it encouraged or detracted from the music。 The main focus， - as would be the main focus of Sonny Rollins- is the music itself。This is a book that belongs on the shelf of not just jazz aficionados， but any music lover。 Levy shows in great detail the dedication to the craft that jazz musicians have， their ability to use and borrow from all styles of music and incorporate them into their own performances， that then influence other musical genres so that jazz gives back to even those that don't consider themselves jazz lovers。It is densely packed with facts， figures， stories and opinions， all of which come together to create an immensely absorbing and readable study of Rollins。 I highly recommend。 。。。more
J Earl
，
Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins， by Aidan Levy， is both a captivating biography of Rollins and an exciting history of the time from the depression until now。I enjoyed the other Levy book I read， Dirty Blvd， and found this one to be even better。 Because of the extensive research and many interviews， much of the story is in the words of those who lived it。 Levy does a great job of providing a narrative skeleton which is fleshed out by the first-person accounts。 This is done Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins， by Aidan Levy， is both a captivating biography of Rollins and an exciting history of the time from the depression until now。I enjoyed the other Levy book I read， Dirty Blvd， and found this one to be even better。 Because of the extensive research and many interviews， much of the story is in the words of those who lived it。 Levy does a great job of providing a narrative skeleton which is fleshed out by the first-person accounts。 This is done extremely well and keeps the biography itself moving forward without sacrificing many moments of reflection and even nostalgia on the part of Rollins。While I have always liked his music I was painfully ignorant of what his life was like。 I knew snippets here and there， largely the things that become "newsworthy，" which usually means sensationalized and also usually misunderstood。 I feel like I have a much better grasp of what went on both personally and musically in his life and in the universe he inhabited。The musical discussions included offers some interesting insight into what he liked and disliked about things （like studio vs live audience） as well as influences he had growing up and well beyond。I would recommend this to any jazz fan， any Rollins fan， and anyone who simply enjoys reading biographies。 In particular biographies where the subject is given plenty of chance to talk。 In fact， this likely is somewhere between the standard biography and an autobiography with a cowriter。Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more
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