Sonny Rollins: What Jazz Is, and What Being a Jazz Musician Means To Me

Saxophone Colossus amzn.to/2R53uAl
Way Out West amzn.to/2CVzMe2
The Bridge amzn.to/2S0MYCB
A Night at the Village Vanguard amzn.to/2CVk3vx
Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins amzn.to/2PJMdfw
Tenor Madness amzn.to/2R54hkN
Freedom Suite amzn.to/2CVkaHt
Don’t Stop the Carnival amzn.to/2NQFRt6
The Sound of Sonny amzn.to/2CVkZ31
Sonny Rollins Omnibook amzn.to/2CVKWzu
Sonny Rolins Transcriptions amzn.to/2CVzbZW
Sonny Rollins will go down in history as not only the single most enduring tenor saxophonist of the bebop and hard bop era, but also as one of the greatest contemporary jazz saxophonists of them all. His fluid and harmonically innovative ideas, effortless manner, and easily identifiable and accessible sound have influenced generations of performers, but have also fueled the notion that mainstream jazz music can be widely enjoyed, recognized, and proliferated.

[@theopaopa1]

1:39 "jazz is a force of nature, it's a feeling, it's a sense of liberation, sense of communing with nature, with higher, an abandon of your spirit, a sense of hope that life can be better, that things can be better, it's a sense of happiness ..."

[@SayersPipes]

My favorite musician in the WORLD, period !! I What a guy, he even replied to a question I asked him once online.. What a sincere and beautiful person !! bless u Sonny !!

[@bobwilson360]

I saw Sonny several times between 1972 and 2000. He never failed to leave me exhausted from sheer amazement at the power and beauty of his music. He'll always be my favorite tenor sax player. As much as I love Coltrane, Sonny is my guy.

[@madams6796]

"I'm optimistic about the Soul....so I'm optimistic about Jazz..."

[@tek3920]

11 years too late but this video geniunly meant the world to me…thank you

[@CATMAN777123]

he speaks about Jazz with a wonderful sense of dignity

[@flintlong2937]

I saw him live at the Hollywood Bowl in the seventies. He was on the bill with all my favorites, Peterson, Ella, SuperSax, many more. But Sonny was outstanding that evening. His playing just...does it for me. I love this guy.

[@chrishamilton4999]

100% authentic man, hey. I had no idea. Thanks for the video(s) ... a great service to the world.

[@JazzVideoGuy]

Chris Hamilton There's no one more authentic than Sonny Rollins.

[@ndodro]

Deeply touched from Sonny's words as everyone who discovered the deep simple beauty of his music. Thanks.

[@holyburn]

Brett, You have done so much for us...all of my gratitude to you.

[@Avirothbard]

That cadence at the end..couldn't stop smiling and giggling..highest vibration . 😎❤️

[@taildragger53]

Thank you so much for this! He's a beautiful person..a COMPLETE human being because he has addressed his spiritual side as well as his physical. Some musicians fake it but Sonny is for real. Totally connected.

[@duncanmeyer2670]

Heard Sonny at Carnegie Hall in '89 and he played for 3 hours straight without a break!!! And each tune was more intense than the last and ended in an explosion. And after the concert the whole audience was high for hours afterward off the experience. Something going on there beyond the music.

[@JazzVideoGuy]

When he got going, look out.

[@countbrando9772]

I saw and heard Sonny right around that time at Carnegie Hall with Brandon Marsalis and he took Brandon to school that night. Powerful.

[@Jazzman8100]

His words are so inspiring. Sonny will forever be my biggest hero

[@pdn-vd5om]

Wonderful encouragement. 'To do the best you can do.'

[@boomerang905]

I finally got to see Sonny. I've known him all my life but now l see him. He's right. Jazz speaks to my soul, not to my ears.

[@Rockyhambone1]

13 thumbs down? Really? Who could possibly give Sonny the thumbs down? He’s such a humble man and probably the greatest living jazz improvisor we have.

[@santukakoty]

i love his playing....but i dare to comment this...he is a divine...

[@edovonvelde3194]

Sonny is the real legend alive

[@SokratisVotskos]

He reminds me of a very familiar person in my life, I believe he's closer than anyone to our souls through his music and words of true wisdom.

[@Pirrelli8]

Never will I forget Sonny, I met him back in 1988, and I got his autograph, and sadly, some how I lost it, his message to me was, signed, "keep blowing Sonny Rollins", and I never learned how to play jazz, I am forever haunted by the fact that I never completed my goal, this was my hero, and I let him down. Maybe one day I will pick up a Saxophone again. I still have the ticket stub from 1988, this is my Sonny Rollins story.

[@MartinSupernova]

Don't beat yourself up about it. You have to live your own best destiny whatever that happens to be. Do really good stuff. Enjoy life. "Arts and Humanities" sure can get to look complicated! It should be endless fun.

[@Pirrelli8]

Thank you,

[@MartinSupernova]

@@Pirrelli8 Sure. I feel like all those famous black guys laid down pretty much impossible challenges, but I just find my own expressive truths in my own life and don't try to copy others but just allow good quality influences where they might help me on with my own career path.

[@Pirrelli8]

@@MartinSupernova Yes, well said.

[@tomkirk6942]

Beautiful

[@kellotherig]

Truly a Legend,,

[@ntouched]

Sonny is the "Real Deal"!!!!

[@akinseye]

go it. smoke gets in your eyes. thanks for the posting, sonny is spittin' straight fire. zig zag zig

[@Baduil]

bless your soul JazzVideoGuy, greetings from Argentina, thanks a lot.

[@SimAlex20000]

this is a beautiful video.

[@christopherbraig4266]

Thanks for making this series. It means a lot.

[@camdor]

Man your video collection rocks, thanks so very much for all this incredible spirit of art and life.

[@izoraneita1381]

Jazz is a force of nature. I can hear the sounds of earth moving in rhythm and feel the wind blowing sometimes it's genital and sometimes it's hard. When the wind is just right, I hear the birds coming to eat and I get excited about the fish then after it's on the hook i exhale.

[@ggmusicdrums]

It's great to hear Jazz being defined and explained by one of its grand masters. Thanks, Bret.

[@lefujyou]

One of the Icon's....The one and only".........inspiration!.....Lefuj

[@JazzVideoGuy]

you got that right

[@zaksherzad]

thanks for sharing this great work!

[@brendaboykin3281]

Thanx, Bret. Encouragement. Baba Sonny, yeeeeeesssssss😎

[@a.e.r.7745]

Inspiring. I wish I could meet him once again, it's been a few decades since. Thank you for the encouragement to aspire to practice playing flute, or bass, or just be grateful to know Sonny is a distant relative.

[@DarkMoonCreations]

LEGEND.

[@michaelthompson6452]

I'm so grateful that you posted this video. I sincerely thank you Jazz Video Guy.

[@JazzVideoGuy]

So glad you like.

[@didierrobin7520]

Gratitude !

[@georgedoughly8682]

I Love JAZZ! Sonny is 1 of the all time Greats 🎷

[@JazzVideoGuy]

yup

[@LeFruFru]

These vidoes are just what I've been looking for, THANKS!

[@jonathaneffemey944]

Brilliant!

[@iscream22]

Great video! I love Sonny Rollins

[@godfather12m]

Yeah jazz is the best music ever made

[@Bugera369]

5:00 Pop Goes the Weasel haha

[@estebanvenegas89]

HEY HAHAAH didnt listen that at first

[@JazzVideoGuy]

@claptonfan1000000 Thanks for the kind words. Stay tuned, more cool videos coming soon.

[@joaquimshakaful]

uau! Thank you for this!

[@JazzVideoGuy]

@grunt12394 Thanks so much.

[@Hoopermazing]

@MCgoogles1000 You really needed someone to explain that to you? Wow!

[@ashrafilm]

@MCgoogles1000 he could be trying to say that in previous lives when there was no emanicipation for his people in particularly the african / carribean they was no chance of absolute freedom for expression, there was no voice, in this life since his birth there is the opportunity since freedoms were denied previous, there is the chance now to express and voice concerns and discuss and state through music, he does it perfectly.

[@allthatjazz4you]

@MCgoogles1000 Indeed, reincarnation.

[@JazzVideoGuy]

@MCgoogles1000 A reference to reincarnation.

[@guiladshmaya1]

wow

[@JazzVideoGuy]

@allthatjazz4you Deja Vu all over again?

[@docoftheworld]

whats the piece he is playing in the first couple of minutes? I remember it but cannot remember the name! HELP

[@docoftheworld]

***** Thanks a lot!!

[@lornaharris4912]

Smoke get in your eyes❤️

[@AlexChuKHGuitar]

smoke gets in your eyes

[@normantrombon]

They...asked me how I knew...that my love was true... I, of course, replied...something deep inside.. smoke gets in your eyes... or something along those lines.

[@TheBasirKarim]

Would you please tell me the name of the tune he's playing here? I know I know it, but can't recal the title.

[@barflytom3273]

smoke gets in your eyes

[@akinseye]

what is the name of this tune?

[@barflytom3273]

smoke gets in your eyes

[@alials9973]

kenji brought me here

[@JazzVideoGuy]

Thank you Kenji

[@alials9973]

Jazz Video Guy exactly thank you kenji and thank you for posting this

[@danerobbable]

And what is a sanctified church, Sonny?