Remembering jazz giant Sonny Rollins
5/29/202646 min
The great jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins died Monday at the age of 95. He was known for his improvisation and technique, his full bodied sound that could erupt into grunts and brays, and his love of songs. Rollins said of improvising: “When I'm actually on the stage and performing, the optimum condition is not to think. I just want the music to play itself. I didn't want to have to think about it.” We listen back to Terry Gross’s 1994 interview with Rollins. Also, jazz historian Kevin Whitehead pays tribute.
Finally, critic Justin Chang tells us about the highlights from the Cannes Film Festival.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
This message comes from NPR sponsor Carvana. Carvana believes selling your car should be refreshingly simple. Enter your license plate or VIN, get a real offer down to the penny, and schedule a pickup on your time. No surprises. Sell your car today at carvana.com. Pickup fees may apply.
David Bianculli· Host0:18
This is Fresh Air. I'm David Bianculli. Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins died Monday. He was 95 years old. For decades, he had been hailed as the greatest living jazz musician. Today, we're going to listen to Terry's 1994 interview with Sonny Rollins. But first, we have this appreciation from jazz historian Kevin Whitehead. He says no figure in jazz was more universally revered. [jazz music] "Wagon Wheels," old cowboy song written for Broadway's Ziegfeld Follies of 1934. It's from the album Way Out West, an excellent introduction to a few things