Subject: Sonny Rollins in Holland, 1967

Hello Al,

Hope you are safe and sound. Just thought you would find this interesting. In 1967 Sonny Rollins played for one week in Holland, doing different gigs and a radio show. He played with the Dutch players Ruud Jacobs (29 at the time) on bass and Han Bennink (25 at the time) on drums. He didn’t like a piano added. Last year they found the tapes and now they are issued on CD in a co-production of Resonance Records & the Dutch Jazz Archive. Great, because I think he almost recorded no records between 1966 and 1972. There is a nice article today in the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant. I attached some photos. Of course it is in Dutch, so I will translate some interesting points.

Sonny Rollins has listened to the tapes last year and thought also that it must be brought out on CD. “I remember I was in holland in May 1967 and had a great week with Ruud and Han. But I didn’t know we played THAT good. The sound of Ruud’s base was so beautiful and the energy of Han’s drumming was merciless. When I listened back to the tapes, I instantly thought: This must be heard.”

There were great reviews at the time in the media about the concerts, especially the one in Arnhem on the 3rd of May 1967 at the Art Academy (most concerts where in very small venues as jazz in 1967 was getting less attention versus the up and coming rock music. Other jazz musicians have been circulating cassette tapes of the concert, of very poor quality, copied over and over again by jazz colleagues. They played in Loosdrecht (also TV show), Arnhem and Utrecht. The photos in the article are from those concerts. This is the website of the Dutch Jazz Archive (they reissue lots of concerts of the jazz greats, played in Holland in the 50’s and 60’s and have a nice photo-archive).

https://www.jazzarchief.nl/product-categorie/jazz-at-the-concertgebouw/

Ruud Jacobs was one of the great Dutch jazz bassist in Holland who played with many people in the late ‘50s and ‘60s (Johnny Griffin, Bud Shank, Kenny Clarke, Stan Getz). The brother of pianist Pim Jacobs. Han Bennink is still alive. He also played with the greats, and became a more experimental drummer, together with the Instant Composers Pool, the Willem Breuker Collective, Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry, etc. He played loud and merciless; he uses everything he can drum on. During  the concerts with Rollins he states: “When Sonny ‘gave’ me a solo, I would go out of rhythm and played for example on a flowerpot.”   (hahaha)

I could imagine that Rudolph would have visited one of the concerts maybe, as he listened to so many in the Netherlands during the 50’s and 60’s??

All the best Al from Amsterdam. Always thankful for the Jazzcollector!

sorry for my grammar

Note from Al: Pictures are below the post. Next is the other email from Maarten.

Subject: Still Alive

Every time I read an obituary in the newspaper or on Jazz Collector…I always think: What? This person was still alive?… While I have records from the fifties where he /she plays on it. And then I want to write something nice about them. But I think; it’s too late. Why not honor somebody when they are still alive. So many jazz artist are still amongst us. I think it could be a very nice post on Jazz Collector. First of all, we will start thinking of those who are still there and gave us this great music. But also it could be inspiring to listen to them while still alive. Everybody will come up with an artist that maybe nobody thought they are still there…and we would start listening to them… while they are still alive.

Joanne Brackeen, born 1938… made some great records  still alive

Herbie Hancock..  albums with Mobley, Byrd, etc … still alive

Benny Golson 1929!! still alive

Curtis Fuller 1934!! still alive

Ron Carter 1937!! still alive

And of course Rollins. Lets not weep when they are dead… but celebrate them now.

Ok. I am getting a bit over excited. Of course you don’t have to address this in Jazz Collector.   ?  Iam just drinking some beers while listening to jazzzzzz

Wish you all the best

Regards

Maarten Kools

Amsterdam

the Netherlands