Sonny Rollins
The general consensus among jazz historians is that Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane are the three greatest tenor saxophonists of the 20th century. Rollins, for his part, was instrumental in advancing the instrument from swing to hard bop. Like Miles Davis, Rollins had a fearless and defiant streak in his style that thrived on the unexpected and nontraditional. A Sonny Rollins solo said as much with the notes it didn’t play as with those it did. His work from the 50s and 60s is considered his classic period, with his discovery of funk in the 70s leading to fewer accolades. The discography below is just getting rollin', so be patient.
| Date | ALBUMS / Singles |
|---|---|
| 1956 | SONNY ROLLINS WITH THE MODERN JAZZ QUARTET |
| 1956 | SONNY ROLLINS PLUS 4 |
| 1956 | MOVING OUT |
| 1957 | SONNY BOY |
| 1957 | A NIGHT AT THE "VILLAGE VANGUARD" |
| 1957 | THE SOUND OF SONNY |
| 1957 | WAY OUT WEST |
| 1958 | FREEDOM SUITE |
| 1959 | NEWK'S TIME |
| 1959 | SONNY ROLLINS AND THE CONTEMPORARY LEADERS |
| 1962 | THE BRIDGE |
| 1962 | WHAT'S NEW |
| 1962 | SONNY'S TIME |
| 1963 | OUR MAN IN JAZZ |
| 1964 | SONNY MEETS HAWK! |
| 1965 | THE STANDARD ROLLINS |
| 1965 | SONNY ROLLINS ON IMPULSE! |
| 1966 | ALFIE |
| 1972 | SONNY ROLLINS |
| 1973 | HORN CULTURE |
| 1975 | THE CUTTING EDGE |
| 1975 | NUCLEUS |
| 1978 | DON'T STOP THE CARNIVAL |
| 1981 | I GRANDI DEL JAZZ: SONNY ROLLINS |
| 1982 | NO PROBLEM |
| 1995 | THE COMPLETE SONNY ROLLINS RCA VICTOR RECORDINGS (1962-1964) |
| 2000 | THE FREELANCE YEARS |
| 2007 | JAZZ PROFILES |
SEE ALSO...
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