Sonny Rollins News

Though the Grammys have a long history of leaning toward familiar names and sympathetic favorites, this year's awards in the jazz category found the Recording Academy mixing a few surprises Sunday with its choices that, as usual, left ample room for debate.

Headliners will be the Grammy-winning tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins and jazz singer Karrin Allyson.

The Ames Room is a collective improvising jazz group consisting of Clayton Thomas on bass, Jean-Luc Guionnet on alto saxophone and Will Guthrie on drums.

On a warm summer's day in 1958, a musical miracle happened in Harlem. Fifty-eight jazz greats, including Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus and Thelonius Monk, came together to pose for a black-and-white photo known as "A Great Day in Harlem." In honor of Black History month, the Southfield Public Library ... (more)

Making two trips to the White House within a calendar year, to receive two of the nation's most prestigious awards bestowed upon artists, is more than fairly momentous.

The beauty is that there are small independents that bring transcendent and glorious music to the public that would never be heard, if all we had were the big labels.

Ben Riley began his four-year association with Thelonious Monk on a moment's notice, joining the It's Monk's Time recording session devoid of any previous playing experience in Monk's quartet, or even the benefit of a single rehearsal.* Riley thus stepped into the drum chair of one of the greatest working jazz bands of the mid-1960s and made his ... (more)

The International Association for Jazz Education's annual conference January 11-14 offered ample opportunities to not only hear great music, but to hear the stories behind it from some true music masters.

Every year, on two consecutive Saturdays in late July and early August, the Caramoor Jazz Festival offers a change of pace from the Caramoor summer classical music series.

In 1966 daringly original jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler toured Europe as part of an annual "Newport in Europe" package.

Hank Mobley always suffered from the perception in some quarters that he was neither an innovative nor particularly gifted improviser.

Listen to Bret Primack's audio interview with saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins. Bret weaves a rich media tapestry from performance excerpts plus Sonny's commentary on 911, Hurricane Katrina, jazz and the media, and the role of the artist, to create a hugely entertaining and insightful combination.

Major jazz stars lit up the Philly jazz scene for the two weeks starting March 7 with Sonny Rollins at Kimmel Center and Joey DeFrancesco at Chris' Jazz Cafe.

Jack DeJohnette is among the elite players in jazz, a drummer whose resume includes work with Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Charles Lloyd and Keith Jarrett.

Longtime sidemen toiling in obscurity may take heart from the current re-evaluation of late tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley's oeuvre.

Though the Gemini Junior High School Jazz Band played in the Niles Library Friday, nobody tried to ssshh them.

No one could argue that jazz didn't have a tumultuous 2011. For the better, bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding 's Grammy for Best New Artist marked the first time a jazz musician was awarded that honor, and veteran tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins was honored for his lifelong achievement at the Kennedy Center.

This is as classic jazz gets. It is one of, if not the biggest record for Sonny Rollins.