SAXOPHONE COLOSSUS

Thoughts on a new massive biography of saxophonist Sonny Rollins

One of the best things that’s happened to me lately is that I’ve had a couple of amazing conversations with jazz giant Sonny Rollins. Through an old friend (and one of Sonny’s advisors) I’ve had phone calls with the 92 year old retired saxophonist about spirituality, his native New York City, other giants he’s known and, yes, music. His long life and artistic accomplishments have filled my talks with him with philosophy, humanity and deep insights into true artistry.

So its been a pleassure to read ‘Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins,’ an epic door stop 772 page biography by journalist Aidan Levy, who spend seven year talking Sonny and hundreds of folks who came in his orbit, plus diving into his archives at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. There have been many books in Sonny, but Levy clearly set out to write the definitive text. Certainly, with Sonny in his 90s, Levy had an opportunity to capture the scope of a life that began in 1930 and spans most of jazz history, including collaborations and friendships with everyone who mattered, from Charlie Parker to Miles Davis, from John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk, and so many more. There’s no doubt that ‘Saxophone Colossus’ (named after one of Sonny’s most famous albums) will be a great resource for future jazz scholars, though is length and thicket of information will be daunting for casual fans looking for an introduction to Sonny’s massive body of work. Levy’s stem to stern reporting, while thorough, sometimes will get a reader lost in the woods.

One very well developed thematic thread is Sonny’s ongoing spiritual development. As crucial to Sonny’s life story as his musical mastery is the jazzman’s connection to Eastern religious thought. He was practing yoga in the late ‘50s and a devotee of Paramahansa Yogananda’s ‘The Autobiography of a Yogi.’ ‘The Rebirth of Hindu Music,’ written by Dane Rudhyar in 1928, was another book that informed his music and spirit. Levy’s biography is as much an introdction to Sonny’s reading list as his discography. Twice in his career — in 1960 when he practiced on New York’s Williamsburg Bridge and in ‘68 when he briefly stayed at an ashram in India — Sonny took breaks from the music business, prioritizing his internal development over his career. To this day Sonny spends much of his day reading books on Eastern religion.

I suspect that Sonny’s introspection and commitment to mental and physical self-improvement is why he’s one of the last true masters of jazz’s innovative ‘50s and ‘60s still with us. In that respect Sonny reminds me of Willie Mays, another mid-century American innovator in his 90s. Though blessed with superior individual talent, both respected their bodies and had a Monk-like focus on their craft. We are lucky to celebrate them while they can still hear our applause.