Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins To Play Seoul
Legendary tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins performs in Seoul for the first time in May. The 77-year-old jazz artist is expected to dazzle audiences with two exciting concerts at the LG Arts Center on May 23 and 25.
Rollins is undoubtedly a living legend in jazz music. With his tenor saxophone, he became known as a formidable jazz improviser in the past six decades.
Born Theodore Walter Rollins in New York City, he started playing the alto saxophone at 11 in Harlem. When he was 16, he switched to the tenor saxophone and started following Charlie Parker. He then came under the wing of piano legend Thelonious Monk. Monk became Rollins’ musical mentor.
He was soon recording with Monk, Babs Gonzales and Miles Davis. He released a series of records in the mid-1950s, such as “Saxophone Colossus'’ and “Tenor Madness'’ that showed new improvisation techniques, and established his reputation as an innovative saxophonist.
Rollins is also credited with not using the piano, but only the bass and drums to accompany his solos in 1957. One of his landmark pieces was “The Freedom Suite.'’
He took a three-year break from the music industry in 1959, and returned with a comeback album “The Bridge'’ in 1962. He continued to explore new musical paths, including Latin rhythms on “What’s New,'’ and even did the soundtrack to the 1966 film “Alfie.'’
After another break from music, he made another comeback in 1972, making fresh music influenced by funk and R&B. He even played on some tracks from the 1981 Rolling Stones album “Tatoo You.'’
In 2000, he won his first Grammy for “This is What I Do.'’ The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences honored Rollins with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.
He won a best jazz instrumental solo Grammy award for his live recording of “Why Was I Born?'’ in 2006. The track was recorded during a concert at the Berklee School of Music held five days after the 9/11 attack, which forced him to evacuate his apartment several blocks away from the World Trade Center.
Rollins’ 2006 album “Sonny Please'’ was also nominated for best jazz instrumental album at the 2007 Grammys.
Rollins considers jazz improvisation as the most demanding form of art. “Jazz, the world of improvisation, is perhaps the highest (art), because we do not have the opportunity to make changes. It’s as if we were painting before the public, and the following morning we cannot go back and correct that blue color or change that red. We have to have the blues and reds very well placed before going out to play. So for me, jazz is probably the most demanding art,'’ he said, in an interview with Jac magazine.
Rollins continues to record music and tour around the world. Tickets for his Seoul concerts are 50,000 won to 130,000 won. For reservation, call (02) 2005-0114 or e-mail arts2005@lgart.com.
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr