I don't believe I've said a word on YouTube about one of my greatest inspirations, Sonny Rollins, but he really is THE master, for several reasons. He was a bebopper who pushed beyond bebop, slowed things up, speeded things in weird ways, and then dropped back down into the fullness of his power and rich tone and just gave himself to his audience.
I saw him live a couple of times in NYC, and all of them were memorable. I was playing with Mr. Satan at that point and wasn't impressed by anything less than huge talent, huge energy, and a majestic willingness to put oneself right out there on the edge of the stage. When I saw Sonny at Carnegie Hall--my first experience of the man in the flesh--he did all that.
Here's a wonderful documentary clip. What I loved about Sonny was that he had a lot of early success, then dropped out to improve himself in an outdoor woodshed to end all woodsheds: the Williamsburg Bridge. I used to spend late nights out in the park at the end of Dyckman Street in upper Manhattan, putting my harp bag on a bench next to the baseball chainlink backstops and playing off the river, listening to the echoes off the Palisades. That's one way of getting a big sound: play next to a big river.
Here's the video. Feedback, please:
Oh yeah: and he's still alive. He figured out a way to live with his talent, rather than getting addicted, miring himself in negativity, killing himself off, or caricaturing himself. Still married to the same good woman. Practices 4-5 hours a day in a barn in his upstate NY home. Now THAT is a smart guy.
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2010 5:35 PM
Preach on, Brother Gussow, preach on. My father was a sax freak. For all his stodgy attorney stick-up-his-ass starchiness, he had sax records going in our house the entire time I was growing up. My old man really only looked like he was relaxed when he was playing his sax or clarinet. I was raised on Rollins, baby.
St Thomas was one of the first tunes I really played on harp that made me realize that I didn't have to fit into pre-concieved parameters.
Village Vanguard is in Buzadero's Top Ten albums for that mythical desert island.
I'm familiar with that area of the city. We rent a flat on Essex St. when we go down for a visit. It is one of my favorite areas of NYC. Great ethnic foods , sounds and smells. I have "woodsheded" on the fire escape...My wife thought I was nuts.....maybe she it right. ---------- Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
I've really gotten into Sonny this past year. The recording of his that did it for me was his rendition of the Tennessee Waltz. I'm not usually a big fan of bop, but he just seems to pour so much pure soul and raw energy into his playing, it really gets me.
Another favorite place of mine to practice is in an empty theater. Not the movie kind, the kind with a stage and a big open house.
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2010 8:27 PM
Just last week I picked up a 2 disc CD called "Jazz Manifesto". It contains 5-6 cuts each from "Saxophone Colossus","Tenor Madness","Freedom Suite" and "Way Out West". I'm still absorbing it and digging it very much. I may steal his quote as my own creed- "I simply want to reach a level where I will never cease to make progress...so that,even on bad evenings,I may never be bad enough to despair."
I'm back in a Sonny Rollins phase, woodshedding "St. Thomas," which the Blues Docs are in the process of adding to our songlist.
Forumites, if this is song that you've tackled/performed/recorded/enjoyed, please post videos of your own performances and/or others. I know we've got a few hardcore jazzhounds here.
I don't really have a head for jazz, as a player, but every now and then I feel crazy and want to master THIS song. I will post my raw woodshed video--but only if there's some action on this thread.
Here's a Pat Martino solo on "St. Thomas," to get you going.
Here's a Joshua Redman performance from 1995. If I was a horn player and I could do all this 18 years ago, where would I go? I mean musically speaking? The first two and a half minutes of this are enough to floor me:
He's been an inspiration for me too. I haven't been on MBH much lately partially because I've been focusing more on my sax playing again. St. Thomas is on my list to work on. I go in waves. The last few years I was more harp focused - began to OB and work in different positions, - now the sax is 'calling me'. Let's face it - it is a more naturally chromatic instrument - and like the harp , - a reed instrument. You can bend it and work the sound and tone in different directions. ----------
Great choice, Adam. Rollins is one of my favourites too. Those albums Buzadero mentioned are great places to start.
I used to play St Thomas with a group years back (on chromatic) - I don't have recordings from that group. I think it's deceptively simple and as a result it's easy to sound corny on it (well, I think I did anyway) - it was one of those tunes that I wasn't really happy playing live as it looked so simple that I'm not sure we spent enough time woodshedding it, but then when it came to playing it live, guess what, surprise, it was too easy to noodle around without saying much - especially at tempo. So I may not have too much advice on it! I think I'll dig it out again and have a play to see how I'd approach it now. Probably some Rollins-like motifs and variations/inversions would be an idea.
Are you doing it in 12th position on diatonic? It has a diatonic 4th and 7th in the melody, meaning that both 12th and 2nd position require overblows (only one OB required in 12th).
