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Sonny Rollins has died, one of the greatest saxophonists in jazz history and a central figure in hard bop. At 80, he retired due to health problems.
The world of music is in mourning. Sonny Rollins, the legendary tenor saxophonist known for his bold sound and constant experimentation, died at the age of 95. His spokesperson confirmed his death in his home in Woodstock, New York. Rollins was a venerated figure in jazz, celebrated for his improvisational abilities and his influence, alongside giants like John Coltrane and Charlie Parker.
Despite his success, he often took breaks to explore new styles, considering himself “a work in continuous evolution.” Rollins won numerous Grammy Awards and continued to perform until his 80s, when health problems forced him to retire. He leaves behind an inheritance of innovation and inspiration.
The musician, born Theodore Walter Rollins on September 7, 1930, in Harlem, died in his Woodstock home in New York State at the age of 95. Considered a true innovator of the tenor sax, Rollins transformed improvisation into a personal, free, and unpredictable narrative form. His compositions – “St. Thomas,” “Oleo,” “Doxy,” “Airegin,” and “Pent-Up House” – became absolute standards of modern jazz, studied and reinterpreted by generations of musicians around the world. The artist was nicknamed “Saxophone Colossus” after his celebrated 1956 album, considered one of the absolute masterpieces of jazz history.
Born and raised in Harlem, the heart of African-American culture, Rollins breathed music from his earliest years. He lived just a few blocks from the Savoy Ballroom and the Apollo Theatre, in a neighborhood where jazz was an integral part of daily life. His parents, immigrants from the Virgin Islands, instilled in him a love for Caribbean rhythms that would profoundly influence his style. As a young man, he began to study piano and alto saxophone, but at sixteen, he definitively switched to tenor saxophone, fascinated by the powerful sound of Coleman Hawkins and Charlie Parker’s bebop revolution. In the Sugar Hill neighborhood, he frequented young people destined to become major figures in jazz, such as Jackie McLean, Kenny Drew, and Art Taylor.
Sonny Rollins established himself on the jazz scene with breathtaking speed, thanks to his masterful technique and a melodic vein of rare originality. Even in his very young age, he performed on stages alongside giants such as Bud Powell, J. J. Johnson, and Miles Davis. The meeting with the legendary Thelonious Monk, who welcomed him as his own student and guided his musical maturation, decisively marked his artistic path. Monk’s influence left an indelible mark on the young saxophonist, teaching him the ability to decompose melodies and build solos with fragmented breaths, rich in surprises and unexpected tension. From that school emerged an unmistakable style: powerful yet lyrical, ironic yet rigorous, capable of effortlessly switching from popular music quotations to elaborate harmonic architectures in a matter of moments.
The article “It is reported that Sonny Rollins, one of the greatest saxophonists in the history of jazz and a central figure in hard bop, has died. At 80 years old, he retired due to health problems” is from Il Fatto Quotidiano.
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