This week’s theme: Quintessential Quintets. Highlights from some of the quintessential jazz quintets from the 1950s and 1960s. Think Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Clifford Brown/Max Roach and a few others. Interesting insight during the show related to my father. If you’ve never read it, would recommend the article Song for My Father here at JazzCollector.com. Hard to believe I wrote that nearly 20 years ago. Featured artists on this podcast include Art Blakey, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, George Morrow, Richie Powell, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Cannonball Adderley, Nat Adderley, Bobby Timmons, Sam Jones, Louis Hayes, Johnny Griffin, Lockjaw Davis, Junior Mance, Larry Gales, Ben Riley, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Horace Silver, Junior Cook, Blue Mitchell, Gene Taylor, Roy Brooks, Lee Morgan, Jymie Merrott, Harold Land, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Philly Joe Jones, Paul Chambers, Charlie Parker, Duke Jordan, Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw
Tag: Sonny Rollins
Podcast: ‘Tis Autumn
This week’s theme: Jazz versions of songs that celebrate the autumn season, inspired by the beauty of the leaves changing here in lovely Berkshire County, Ma. Featured artists include Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, Hank Jones, Sam Jones, Art Blakey, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Johnny Hartman, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Anita O’Day, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Phil Woods, Billie Holiday, Flip Phillips, Oscar Peterson, Barney Kessell, Ray Brown, Isaiah J. Thompson, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Drew, Sarah Vaughan, Roy Haynes, Rosemary Clooney, Scott Hamilton, Nancy Lamott, Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Clifford Brown, Karrin Allyson, Tal Farlow and many more.
Podcast: Another Side of Sonny
This week’s theme: More of Sonny Rollins as a sideman. Featured artists include Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Ernie Henry, Oscar Pettiford, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Richie Powell, George Morrow, Abbey Lincoln, Kenny Dorham, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Hank Jones, Horace Silver, Percy Heath, Kenny Clarke, Art Farmer, Bud Powell, Fats Navarro, Tommy Potter, Roy Haynes, JJ Johnson, John Lewis, Gene Ramey, Shadow Wilson.
Podcast: A Side of Sonny
This week’s theme: Sonny Rollins as a sideman, starting with his first recordings as an 18-year-old. Featured artists include Sonny Rollins, JJ Johnson, Kenny Dorham, Clifford Brown, Max Roach, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Philly Joe Jones, Babs Gonzalez, Thelonious Monk, Julius Watkins, Percy Heath, Willie Jones, Bennie Green, John Lewis, Roy Haynes.
Podcast: JC Live Anniversary 3, Part 2
This week’s theme: Continuing the celebration of the third anniversary of Jazz Collector Live and Jazz Collector Radio. Featured artists include John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Arthur Taylor, Eric Dolphy, Freddie Hubbard, Jacki Byard, George Tucker, Roy Haynes, Dexter Gordon Tommy Flanagan, Larry Ridley, Alan Dawson, David Burns, Stanely Turrentine, Wynton Kelly, Tal Farlow, Eddie Costa, Rosemary Clooney, Sonny Rollins, Jake Hanna, Scott Hamilton, Bill Berry, Billie Holiday, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge, Gerry Mulligan, Coleman Hawkins, Thelonious Monk, Kenny Dorham, Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Smith, Karrin Allyson, James Carter, James Williams, John Patitucci, Lewis Nash, and more.
Podcast: Irving Berlin Jazz Songbook
This week’s theme: Jazz and vocal versions of songs written by Irving Berlin. Featured artists include John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins, Ray Bryant, Max Roach, George Bryant, Charles McPherson, Jackie McLean, Rosemary Clooney, Ed Bickert, Scott Hamilton, John Oddo, Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, Bill Evans, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Lamott, Duke Jordan, Walter Bishop Jr., Oscar Peterson, Dinah Washington, Lockjaw Davis, Paul Quinichette, Clark Terry, Lou Donaldson, Horace Silver, Arthur Taylor.
Podcast: Sonny Rollins on Impulse
This week’s theme: Sonny Rollins on the Impulse label. Featured artists include Sonny Rollins, Tommy Flanagan, Bob Cranshaw, Billy Higgins, Mickey Roker, Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, Jimmy Garrison, Oliver Nelson, Kenny Burrell, Roger Kellaway, Ray Bryant, Walter Booker, Mickey Roker
Podcast: Rodgers and Hart Jazz Songbook
This week’s theme: Jazz versions of Rodgers and Hart compositions. Featured artists include Miles Davis, Paul Desmond, Jim Hall, Art Tatum, Ben Webster, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Sheila Jordan, Chet Baker, Sonny Stitt, Anita O’Day, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, John Coltrane, Johnny Hartman, Lee Wiley.
Checking Out Some More From Sonny Rollins
As you might expect I’ve been in a bit of a Sonny Rollins head lately, lots of great memories of seeing him live. When he would do a week-long gig at the Vanguard or Half Note, I would see him just about every night, every set, usually going with my friend Dan Axelrod. One of the great things, out of many great things, about Sonny was that he never seemed to play the same way each night, even though he would have a set song list for the entire week’s gig. He was always pushing himself to find new ways of expression. Anyway, being in this head, I’ve spent some time perusing YouTube in the past few weeks, looking at vintage Rollins performances, interviews and tributes. Here are some of my favorites. Please feel free to share yours in the comments section.
The Jazz Video Guy has some great interviews, including
Art Tatum and the Great American Songbook
Finally, Dan sent me this amazing article from The Nation
Sonny Rollins Lived To See Justice for His Wrongly Convicted Father
Podcast: Sonny Rollins, the RCA Years
This week’s theme: Sonny Rollins on RCA. Artists include Sonny Rollins, Jim Hall, Bob Cranshaw, Ben Riley, Billy Higgins, Don Cherry, Coleman Hawkins, Paul Bley, Roy McCurdy, Henry Grimes, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Thad Jones











