#theloniousmonk — Public Fediverse posts

R.I.P. Sonny Rollins (1930-2026)

I woke this morning to the sad news that the great tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins passed away yesterday at the age of 95. He was one of the most influential and creative musicians of his time and there are many justifiably glowing obituaries of him. I can’t add much that hasn’t already been said by them, other than say that I consider myself deeply privileged to have been able see and hear Sonny Rollins play live, not once but twice, during the 1980s. The first was in the relatively intimate surroundings of Ronnie Scott’s club in London and the second in the Royal Festival Hall. On both occasions he was fantastic. Sonny Rollins was one of those musicians who made me think when I watched him that if you took the instrument out of his mouth it would somehow carry on playing on its own. At Ronnie Scott’s club he opened one set by starting to play in the band room, walking out through the audience onto the stage still playing and then about an hour later walked off back the way he came, still playing. The tune was Thelonious Monk’s 52nd Street Theme. He ended his set at the Festival Hall with an unstoppable version of Don’t Stop The Carnival that had everyone leaping about in the aisles. There was so much music in him it just had to come out. Was he playing the music or was it playing him?

Sonny Rollins began playing professionally when he was a teenager in the late 1940s but came to the attention of the jazz world in earnest when he teamed up with Miles Davis for a 1954 recording session that led to a record called Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins. (Coincidentally, today would have been Miles Davis’s 100th birthday). That record, originally issued on a 10″ LP, showcased Rollins’s big muscular sound on tenor sax, but also consisted of four tracks, three of which were compositions by Sonny Rollins, including a now-standard Oleo. That record was really Sonny’s breakthrough and he went on to record dozens of superb albums both as leader: A Night at the Village Vanguard, Saxophone Colossus, Newk’s Time, and Way Out West, to name just four. He also made many records as a side man, including the must-have album, Brilliant Corners with Thelonious Monk.

Having established himself as a major artist, Rollins suddenly took a three-year break from playing between 1959 to 1961 to develop his technique. Lacking space to practice in his apartment, he did so every day on the Williamsburg Bridge. When he returned to a recording studio in early 1962, the result was another classic album, The Bridge.

(Left: Sonny Rollins c. 1960)

Having established himself as a major artist, Rollins suddenly took a three-year break from playing between 1959 to 1961 to develop his technique. Lacking space to practice in his apartment, he did so every day on the Williamsburg Bridge. When he returned to a recording studio in early 1962, the result was another classic album, The Bridge.

In all he made over 60 albums, of which I have about a dozen. I’ll be listening to them a lot over the next few days and may post a few further items about them in due course.One thing I always liked about Sonny Rollins was his tendency to take a shine to very unexpected tunes and turn them into something magical. Off the top of my head I can think of The Surrey with the Fringe on Top, How are Things in Glocca Morra? and I’m an Old Cowhand.

It’s impossible to pick a single track than can do justice to Sonny Rollins so I’m just going to include a couple here. The first is the very first track I ever heard by him, on a Blue Note sampler album. It’s a Miles Davis tune called Tune Up and it’s from the 1957 Blue Note album Newk’s Time with Wynton Kelly (piano), Doug Watkins (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). Perhaps listening to the energy and invention of his playing, delivered with that characteristically leathery tone then you’ will understand why I fell instantly in love with his music and wanted to hear more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcwhoDvE3YY

The second is one of my favourite records of all time. It’s called Hold’ Em Joe and it was recorded in 1965 with Ray Bryant (piano), Walter Booker (bass) and the fabulous Mickey Roker on drums:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g72FeOSLA1Y

As a sad footnote on this sad occasion, the passing of Sonny Rollins means that not one of the great musicians in this famous photograph A Great Day in Harlem, taken on August 12th 1958, is still with us:

Rest in Peace Sonny Rollins (1930-1954), Saxophone Colossus indeed.

Thelonious Monk, The London Collection Volume 3, 1989 on Black Lion

Recorded at Chappell Studios in London Nov 15th, 1971 but not released until the late 80s on Black Lion, these recordings are from near the end of his recording and performing career. Monk’s joined by Al McKibbon on bass and Art Blakey on drums.

There are at least 3 volumes in the London Collection as well as a three CD Complete London Collection put out by Black Lion.

My copy—via a private sale—is the 2016 reissue by Org Music on Black Lion labels, pressed at Pallas.

Thelonious Monk, The London Collection Volume 3, 1989 on Black Lion

Recorded at Chappell Studios in London Nov 15th, 1971 but not released until the late 80s on Black Lion, these recordings are from near the end of his recording and performing career. Monk’s joined by Al McKibbon on bass and Art Blakey on drums.

There are at least 3 volumes in the London Collection as well as a three CD Complete London Collection put out by Black Lion.

My copy—via a private sale—is the 2016 reissue by Org Music on Black Lion labels, pressed at Pallas.

Thelonious Monk, The London Collection Volume 3, 1989 on Black Lion

Recorded at Chappell Studios in London Nov 15th, 1971 but not released until the late 80s on Black Lion, these recordings are from near the end of his recording and performing career. Monk’s joined by Al McKibbon on bass and Art Blakey on drums.

There are at least 3 volumes in the London Collection as well as a three CD Complete London Collection put out by Black Lion.

My copy—via a private sale—is the 2016 reissue by Org Music on Black Lion labels, pressed at Pallas.

Thelonious Monk, The London Collection Volume 3, 1989 on Black Lion

Recorded at Chappell Studios in London Nov 15th, 1971 but not released until the late 80s on Black Lion, these recordings are from near the end of his recording and performing career. Monk’s joined by Al McKibbon on bass and Art Blakey on drums.

There are at least 3 volumes in the London Collection as well as a three CD Complete London Collection put out by Black Lion.

My copy—via a private sale—is the 2016 reissue by Org Music on Black Lion labels, pressed at Pallas.

Thelonious Monk, The London Collection Volume 3, 1989 on Black Lion

Recorded at Chappell Studios in London Nov 15th, 1971 but not released until the late 80s on Black Lion, these recordings are from near the end of his recording and performing career. Monk’s joined by Al McKibbon on bass and Art Blakey on drums.

There are at least 3 volumes in the London Collection as well as a three CD Complete London Collection put out by Black Lion.

My copy—via a private sale—is the 2016 reissue by Org Music on Black Lion labels, pressed at Pallas.

Collegamenti #6

Prosegue la saga degli appunti e dei collegamenti casuali ed eventualmente sconnessi.

Inizio con una bella foto che ritrae Holger Czukay e Damo Suzuki dei Can agli Inner Space Studios a Weilerswist. I Can, una di quelle band che è in grado di innalzare di parecchio sopra il livello della media la musica di quelli che riesce a influenzare.

Dai Can a un’altra band che adoro, i Silver Apples, ovvero Simeon Coxe e Dan Taylor, tra i primi a credere che si potesse mischiare il rock con l’elettronica e tirarne fuori qualcosa di nuovo. Era il 1967-1968, addirittura. Consiglio molto, oltre all’ascolto dei primi due album degli Apples, questo articolino di Randall Roberts che racconta la storia della band e dell’idea che ci sta dietro: prendere dei vecchi oscillatori usati dall’esercito americano durante la Seconda guerra mondiale per disturbare le comunicazioni dei nazisti e farci della musica. Notevole.

Dalla musica sperimentale, eseguo un volo pindarico e atterro nella Tuscia viterbese (la terra che mi ospita), sul suo suolo ammaccato e sulle sue falde acquifere in sofferenza. Mi danno l’opportunità di farlo due articoli apparsi su «Dinamo Press» il mese scorso. Li firma Bengasi Battisti, ex sindaco di Corchiano, che molti di noi conoscono per le lotte in difesa dell’acqua pubblica e per quelle contro le coltivazioni estensive di noccioleti affamate di fitofarmaci che coprono la provincia. I temi affrontati dai due articoli sono le cave dismesse e abbandonate che attendono la bonifica, e l’uso degli erbicidi a base di glifosato. Riguardo a quest’ultimo punto è significativo, sottolinea Battisti, che lo studio scientifico che è stato usato per decenni per sostenere l’innocuità del glifosato sia stato recentemente ritirato perché si è scoperto che era stato manipolato dalla Monsanto, azienda produttrice del famoso erbicida Roundup. Vedi il caso alle volte?

Nei movimenti, qualcosa si muove. Il mese scorso è nata l’Alleanza Antiautoritaria, con l’obiettivo di costruire un fronte comune per arginare l’avanzata degli autoritarismi, per combattere fanatici e simpatizzanti degli uomini forti ovunque si annidino, anche a sinistra, per costruire solidarietà internazionalista con chiunque si trovi a subire il bastone dell’autorità. Io non so cosa richiedano i tempi infami che stiamo vivendo, non amo né i profeti né il profetizzare, ma se l’internazionalismo sta messo malino, e mi pare difficile controbattere a quest’affermazione, allora il dargli una spinta è un obiettivo che condivido profondamente, AA è come l’aria fresca in una notte estiva e diventa un collegamento stabile di questo blog.

Ancora dai movimenti: il Gruppo Anarchico Germinal-Trieste ha buttato giù un’analisi collettiva della questione palestinese intitolata «Calpestiamo tutte le bandiere dal fiume fino al mare». Avrei voluto scriverla io una roba così, ne sentivo la mancanza e dunque ve la rifilo.

Torno alla musica e mi avvio piano piano a chiudere la porta.

Nella puntata precedente ho lanciato l’hashtag #LaMusicaDel2016 per ricordare gli album bellissimi usciti dieci anni fa; accanto a me c’era The Peace and Truce of Future of The Left dei Future of The Left. Saltando di disco in disco, è ora giunto il turno di Here Be Monsters dei Motorpsycho. È un album morbido per lo standard dei Motorpsycho, ma contiene delle melodie fantastiche, dei gran viaggioni psichedelici e una bellissima cover di Spin, Spin, Spin. Ha anche una gran bella copertina, non vi pare? E qui mi sovviene una domanda: il 2016 fu l’anno delle copertine minimali bianche coi disegni neri? Adoro questi collegamenti del caso che probabilmente non significano niente.

Infine, visto che parliamo di copertine, segnalo questo articolo che a sua volta segnala uno studio interessantissimo della storica dell’arte Carissa Kowalski Dougherty intitolato The Coloring of Jazz: Race and Record Cover Design in American Jazz, 1950 to 1970 («Il colore del jazz: razza e design delle copertine dei dischi nel jazz americano, dal 1950 al 1970»). Io vorrei leggere solo cose così. Lo consiglio molto.

Delle copertine analizzate ne prendo in prestito una. Rappresenta Underground, il disco del 1968 di Thelonious Monk, ed è l’immagine della sobrietà :-) Il design è di John Berg e Dick Mantel e la foto è di Horn e Griner.

Fine.

#TheloniousMonk was born this day in 1917.

Watch him play Blue Monk with his quartet in 1966: https://youtu.be/_40V2lcxM7k?si=P5nhXs1qQae9sy41

#OnThisDayInMusic #MastoArt #Jazz