Sonny Rollins

Tenor Titan

By: Charles Giuliano - Apr 14, 2016

Tenor Titan Sonny Rollins

Jammed up young
Stint at Rikers
Hooked on horse
In and out with Miles
Kicked early
Now mid eighties
Last of the Titans
Pillars of jazz
Tenor colossus
Sonny Rollins
Staggering legacy
Flailing his horn
Bobbing and weaving
A weapon
On the attack
Turning mostly
Mundane tunes
Into scorching riffs
Deconstructing
Chord changes
Often improv more on
Rhythm than melody
First to downscale
Quartet to trio
Ditched the piano
Collaborations
Cliff Brown/ Max Roach
Horn player Brown
Car accident
Bright light
Snuffed
Several sabbaticals
Woodshedding
Pushing the limits
Returned as
The Bridge
Magnificently
Black rage of
Freedom Suite
Flip side playful
Way out West
Pratfalls with MJQ
Loosey goosey
Goofing on their
Sedate chamber music
Just hilarious
More jab than jive
Always a surprise
Roaming the stage
Balletic moves
Sweeping reach
Accenting the beat
At Tanglewood
Not long ago
Hobbled with age
Arthritic bones
No impact on
Feline sound
Scorching growls
Rough and smooth
Laid down
A groove