Happy 77th Birthday, Sonny Rollins

Sonny Rollins -- he's one of those voices that almost unanimously is named when you ask tenor saxophone players who influenced them.  It took some time for me to dig back into my grey matter and figure out the first Sonny Rollins recordings I heard -- it must have been those classic Bud Powell recordings for Blue Note, like Dance of the Infidels and Bouncin' with Bud, so full of energy, virtuosity and excitement.  To think that Sonny Rollins was about to turn nineteen when he made those recordings! So many classic recordings for Prestige, moments like The Bridge and Sonny Rollins on Impulse, and a decade-ago concert for Earshot Jazz at the Moore Theater -- these are the things that first strike my mind when thinking of Sonny Rollins, who at 77 today is still out there kicking out chorus-after-chorus of improvisations. Enjoy our usual celebratory video collection: