5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Sonny Rollins

New York Times

07-05-2025

For Rollins, bebop's emphasis on physical tenacity and fast-paced intellect became a personal religion. Many of the tunes he wrote have become jazz standards — including some on the list below, like 'St. Thomas,' 'Oleo' and 'Airegin' — but as soon as he composed them, he invariably set about tearing them apart, recasting them, allowing the substance to push against the limits of its own form until it burst, and then to see how that bursting could be multiplied.
Sonny Rollins's sound is as uncapturable as it is memorable, so you're left with nothing to do except to keep on listening. In the same way that, over his seven-decade career and across more than 60 albums, Rollins wanted nothing more than to simply keep playing. Rollins, who will turn 95 this summer, has not performed publicly since 2012, for health reasons. But he remains indefatigable as a listener. Interviews with him are still liable to veer toward his favorite contemporary saxophonists — some of whom weigh in on the list below.
Read on for a ride through Rollins's catalog, guided by a team of musicians, scholars and critics. Find playlists embedded below, and don't forget to leave your own favorites in the comments.