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- Before a concert
I try to meditate
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Downloaded from
YTS.MX
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on what I have to do,
I try to block out
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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any extraneous thoughts.
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I try to think about what
it's going to be like,
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I try to will the
band to sound good.
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I try to act in a positive way,
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and I try to create a
picture of what I hope
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is going to happen on the stage.
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So it's sort of a
meditation, in a way,
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prior to performing.
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[upbeat jazz music]
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[crowd applauding]
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Of course, I was born here,
number one, in Harlem,
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and the great excitement
here in New York, of course.
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I always felt New York was
the center of a lot of music,
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at least during the time
when I was growing up.
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52nd Street was where
everybody was playing
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and I had a chance to
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really hear some of
the great musicians.
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And you know, there's
just the energy,
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the wonderful energy that is
in New York and nowhere else.
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- My first memories of
Sonny Rollins is when he
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recorded with J.J
Johnson for Prestige.
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I had been hearing
about him a little bit,
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they kept saying there's
this tenor player up town
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who's really upsetting everybody
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and I heard that some of the
test pressings on this date
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and was kind of impressed
and was told about him
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in the studio,
they way he stood,
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I guess he impressed
this friend of mine
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who had seen him and that
he really assumed the very
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planted stance and
dug in and just blew.
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I guess the first reaction
to hearing him in person was,
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and also on that
record was that,
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here was a guy who had
heard Charlie Parker
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and was putting that
kind of knowledge
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into the tenor saxophone
differently, say,
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than Dexter Gordon, who was
acknowledged to be the first
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00:16:33,923 --> 00:16:37,927
to translate Charlie
Parker's mode to the tenor.
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00:16:39,791 --> 00:16:42,656
Because at that time, people
were very rigid and they said,
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"Oh yes, you can sound like
that on alto, like Bird,
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"but you can't play
like that on tenor."
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00:16:48,559 --> 00:16:52,287
And each little step of
the way had to be won
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in people's minds.
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Sonny, even in his rawest
period, in that first period
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when a lot of critics
were putting him down,
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I felt he had something very,
very personal and unique
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00:17:07,026 --> 00:17:11,547
to say and certainly he was
not the polished Sonny Rollins
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that he would become
after the Chicago period
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00:17:15,586 --> 00:17:18,589
and coming back with Max
Roach and Clifford Brown
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00:17:18,589 --> 00:17:21,247
and really turning
everyone's heads arounds,
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that's when he really
established himself.
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00:17:23,180 --> 00:17:25,941
But I feel all through
the earlier period,
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'51 through '53, he played
a lot of valuable music
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as we know from
listening to the records.
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00:17:32,637 --> 00:17:37,125
- I started listening to
Sonny in 1965 and 1966,
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00:17:37,125 --> 00:17:39,610
and the thing that
hit me the most
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00:17:39,610 --> 00:17:42,716
was the extraordinary
personal authority of the man
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00:17:42,716 --> 00:17:45,823
in the way he played, in the
way he addressed the audience,
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00:17:45,823 --> 00:17:48,895
in the way he addressed
the piece of music.
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00:17:48,895 --> 00:17:53,037
The incident at Saugerties
where he jumped off the cliff
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is not uncharacteristic of
Sonny because he always had
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a very strong visual sense,
he's a performer who likes to
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keep the audience entertained.
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00:18:02,426 --> 00:18:04,773
I remember the one time
there was a concert in '66
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called Titans of the Tenor
that he shared a bill on
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with Coleman Hawkins, Zoot
Sims, and John Coltrane,
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00:18:11,090 --> 00:18:14,679
and Dave Lampert was
the MC and he said,
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"And now Sonny Rollins,"
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and a much shorter
fellow walked out,
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00:18:18,131 --> 00:18:20,133
it was Yusef Lateef, whom
Sonny had just convinced
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to come along for the
gig, who was not billed,
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00:18:22,446 --> 00:18:24,206
and after Yusef
played several chords,
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Sonny walked out, all in black,
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black Keds sneakers, black
pants, black T-shirt,
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walked straight to
the back of the stage,
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and started to improvise
chords behind Lateef
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and then came up for,
I think he was playing
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Hold 'Em Joe with Calypso,
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00:18:40,671 --> 00:18:42,776
and then went into
a whole incredible
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15, 20 minute solo thing.
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00:18:45,641 --> 00:18:48,817
And the control of
the horn, the time,
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the phrasing,
everything about it
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just held you in your seat.
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And so even if you were a
novice, as I was at that time,
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there was something about
Rollins that was so compelling
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that you understood him.
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I never understood,
I used to see reviews
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where people would
talk about him being
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too complex or intellectual
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00:19:05,799 --> 00:19:07,387
and the great
thing about Rollins
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is that he is a communicator,
he always tells a story.
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I think he's the most
compelling tenor saxophonist
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we have right now.
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- Whenever talking
about Sonny Rollins
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I almost feel the need to
preface anything I might say
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by pointing out that
I consider him to be
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the greatest living
jazz improvisor.
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00:19:22,747 --> 00:19:26,958
Of course, that puts
the standards higher
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by which you have to
judge Sonny Rollins
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and you can only
imagine the standards
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by which he must judge himself.
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Play time for us is
work time for him.
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00:19:38,487 --> 00:19:42,042
We just go to
enjoy his concerts.
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To him it means something
else, something much greater
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seems to be a stake and I
think some of that tension
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communicates itself
to an audience
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and it becomes
pretty fascinating.
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- I dropped out of
the jazz scene in 1959
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which was more well known,
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that was the bridge period
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when I practiced on
the bridge for a while.
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As you know, I'm always
trying to improve myself
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and I'm partly a
self-taught musician
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and all my career I've been
trying to improve my craft.
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So at that point
I had dropped out
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and figured I'd
stay away from music
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and the music
scene and everybody
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and just try to
improve my playing
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and I studied
piano for it again.
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And so, that was a
very important period,
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a publicized period.
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I had been practicing on
the bridge and I think
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a jazz writer had
seen us on the bridge,
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seen me on the bridge practicing
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and he wrote a
little story about it
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and it became famous,
infamous Sonny Rollins
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practicing alone on the bridge.
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So when I finally came
back to the jazz scene
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and I came back to appearing,
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I was appearing in a night
club and I made my debut again,
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I recorded for RCA at
that time and we thought,
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well it would be
apropos if we named
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the album The Bridge, or at
least some songs in the album.
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- Although I never
saw Sonny Rollins
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practicing on the bridge,
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I did see him blowing
into a little closet
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in his apartment
on Grand Street,
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he used that to muffle the sound
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so he wouldn't bother anybody
and he could play at any hour.
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He also had a board on
which he did exercises.
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He was drinking orange juice,
he was into Rosicrucianism,
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and a complete contrast
from the guy who had been
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strung out a few years earlier.
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So he did a complete about-face,
he started really working
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on physical fitness and he
knew that in order to be
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a tenor player, to
have the endurance
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to play that instrument,
that he had to be in shape
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and he talked about this.
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- Any instrument eventually
gets to be a part
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of the person playing it,
it's a very personal thing.
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And the saxophone
is closer to me,
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I hate to say it's almost
closer than Lucille.
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But she knows this already
so she's not jealous.
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Before I was married
to Lucille, though,
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I did have problems
with girlfriends
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and my saxophone
though, I must say that.
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And one of them broke up
my saxophone at one time
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when she was mad at me.
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I was playing a
very important job
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at the Five spot with
Mingus and a lot of people.
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But the saxophone
is very close to you
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and it's a very
delicate instrument
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and the slightest
thing can change the
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nuance that you put into it.
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So it can drive you crazy.
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It can drive you crazy
because even if you know what
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you want to play, sometimes
it doesn't come out
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because of the
differences in the horn
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and it might not be
working exactly right
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or something like that.
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So it's a very
close relationship.
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- Obviously I think
he's important.
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And just as obviously, I have
a hard time explaining why
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to a general audience,
why he is so important.
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It's almost gotta be accepted.
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In one sense, he's never
been as influential
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at any given period
as say, Miles Davis,
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well, as Miles Davis
has been throughout
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Miles Davis' whole career.
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But he's never been
as important as Miles,
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he's never been as
influential as Coletrane was
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in the mid to late '60s,
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or Ornette Coleman during
much of that same time.
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And I think one of the
reasons is he's never,
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unlike them, he never formed
the band in his own image.
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He's never been
successful at doing that.
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And in a way, that almost
enhances his appeal,
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that lack of context.
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It's just Sonny Rollins as
the single most excellent
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standard of jazz you
can possibly imagine.
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- Jazz is a music that's made
be people playing together
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but the master improvisers
are always the ones
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who set the tone,
they take the lead,
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the bring everyone
in around them
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and Sonny Rollins is
someone who has listened
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to all the great
players before him
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and come up with
something of his own
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and that's the way
the music moves along.
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His tone is so personal,
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that deep sound of his is
like no other saxophonist.
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His sense of time, the
rhythmic displacement,
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his pauses, his rests,
the way he then comes
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rushing up from behind the beat.
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His ability to play at length
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and still come up
with interesting ideas
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is something that
stands out in my mind.
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- One of the most important
aspects of Sonny's influence
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on jazz is his
ability to improvise
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an extended solo and
keep your attention
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00:25:51,377 --> 00:25:56,106
and not just go through the
cycle of choruses and chords.
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I guess the first
examples were, again,
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an unlikely song,
Irving Berlin's
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There's No Business
Like Show Business,
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and There Are Such Things
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00:26:03,389 --> 00:26:04,977
which has a a terrific
cadenza at the end.
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And he figured out how
to alternate the chorus
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and the verse in such a way
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to constantly keep you
a little bit off balance
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while you're listening
to the performance.
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00:26:13,675 --> 00:26:15,746
And then he developed
this subsequent record
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with a piece called Blue 7,
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and in writing about that I'd,
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Gunther Schuller coined the
phrase thematic improvisation,
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well he meant by that was
that Sonny will take a theme
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and he will use the
melody to govern
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the improvisational ideas
that follow rather than simply
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playing rote on
the chord changes.
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And actually, Rollins has
a lot of different ways
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that he organizes improvisations
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00:26:38,769 --> 00:26:42,808
but the end product is that
combining them together
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00:26:42,808 --> 00:26:46,087
he manages to sustain
interest for say,
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five, six choruses,
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00:26:48,641 --> 00:26:51,817
10, 12 minutes in a way
that very few improvisers
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00:26:51,817 --> 00:26:53,301
have ever been able to do.
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00:26:53,301 --> 00:26:56,373
And it never becomes just
a self-indulgent howl
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or a kind of
emotional outpouring.
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It's always logical,
241
00:27:01,274 --> 00:27:04,415
it's always a kind of
Aristotelian perfection
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of beginning and a
middle and an end
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00:27:06,245 --> 00:27:08,834
and he takes you someplace
and you know where he's going.
244
00:27:08,834 --> 00:27:11,181
One of the pitfalls of
that kind of playing
245
00:27:11,181 --> 00:27:13,217
is that with Sonny, as
I mentioned earlier,
246
00:27:13,217 --> 00:27:15,081
there's no hiding for him.
247
00:27:15,081 --> 00:27:16,807
You always know when
he's playing very well
248
00:27:16,807 --> 00:27:18,913
and when he's not because
it's all right there
249
00:27:18,913 --> 00:27:20,569
on the plate for you.
250
00:27:20,569 --> 00:27:24,988
- Whenever I try to
create anything, solos
when I'm playing,
251
00:27:24,988 --> 00:27:29,164
what I'm basically trying
to do is to blot out my mind
252
00:27:30,510 --> 00:27:32,892
as much as possible.
253
00:27:32,892 --> 00:27:36,896
And of course I've already
learned the material,
254
00:27:39,174 --> 00:27:40,866
so after learning the material
255
00:27:40,866 --> 00:27:44,110
then I try to blot
out my mind and just
256
00:27:46,181 --> 00:27:47,976
let it flow by itself.
257
00:27:47,976 --> 00:27:52,153
So I try not to really think
too much about what I'm playing
258
00:27:54,431 --> 00:27:56,088
when I'm soloing.
259
00:27:56,088 --> 00:27:59,608
So I sorta have the
structure already
260
00:27:59,608 --> 00:28:03,682
and then I just try to create
and let it come by itself.
261
00:32:03,783 --> 00:32:06,165
[applauding]
262
00:32:34,504 --> 00:32:37,679
[audience applauding]
263
00:32:51,521 --> 00:32:55,628
- At certain points during
my playing I leave the stage.
264
00:32:55,628 --> 00:32:58,010
Sometimes I go out
into the audience
265
00:32:58,010 --> 00:33:00,288
and I get feedback
from the audience.
266
00:33:00,288 --> 00:33:02,601
They stimulate me to do more
267
00:33:05,259 --> 00:33:08,158
and to get into different areas.
268
00:33:08,158 --> 00:33:10,022
And this is sort of
what I had in mind
269
00:33:10,022 --> 00:33:12,542
when I was doing that concert.
270
00:33:13,750 --> 00:33:16,097
I figured that I
would leave the stage,
271
00:33:16,097 --> 00:33:20,515
jump down off of the stage
and then come back onto stage.
272
00:33:20,515 --> 00:33:24,623
And at first I said no,
I looked and I figured
273
00:33:24,623 --> 00:33:28,799
it might be too steep but I
thought I could manipulate it
274
00:33:32,217 --> 00:33:34,978
and I tried, at first I didn't.
275
00:33:34,978 --> 00:33:39,120
And it was unfortunate because
I did sustain a broken heel.
276
00:33:41,226 --> 00:33:45,402
But I kept playing and I
was very happy about that
277
00:33:46,921 --> 00:33:50,235
and I was happy that a lot
of the people didn't realize
278
00:33:50,235 --> 00:33:52,754
that I was actually
hurt or anything
279
00:33:52,754 --> 00:33:55,205
and they thought it was just
a part of the performance.
280
00:33:55,205 --> 00:33:57,138
- At the time that
Sonny came along,
281
00:33:57,138 --> 00:33:59,520
jazz was grappling with
the problem of standards
282
00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:02,695
and how to play them and what
to do to find new material.
283
00:34:02,695 --> 00:34:05,112
The previous generation,
Parker and Gillespie had taken
284
00:34:05,112 --> 00:34:07,976
a lot of standard tunes and
written their own chords
285
00:34:07,976 --> 00:34:11,670
and their own melodies and
added substitute chords
286
00:34:11,670 --> 00:34:13,672
to the original
chord progressions.
287
00:34:13,672 --> 00:34:16,606
Rollins went back and
found all kinds of pieces
288
00:34:16,606 --> 00:34:19,781
that jazz musicians did
not know what to do with
289
00:34:19,781 --> 00:34:21,990
or would not have
known what to do with
290
00:34:21,990 --> 00:34:23,475
if he hadn't played them.
291
00:34:23,475 --> 00:34:26,409
Things like Jolson's songs
and I'm an Old Cow Hand,
292
00:34:26,409 --> 00:34:29,308
Toot Toot Tootsie and
all kinds of ballads
293
00:34:29,308 --> 00:34:33,485
and he made them credible as
music, let alone as jazz music.
294
00:34:35,728 --> 00:34:39,007
He proved, and Miles Davis
is someone else who did this,
295
00:34:39,007 --> 00:34:41,872
that if you find the right
tempo, the right attack,
296
00:34:41,872 --> 00:34:43,702
the right approach
for a piece of music,
297
00:34:43,702 --> 00:34:45,255
you can make it work for you.
298
00:34:45,255 --> 00:34:48,500
And so Rollins, even at
the height of free jazz,
299
00:34:48,500 --> 00:34:50,088
never had to turn
away from that.
300
00:34:50,088 --> 00:34:52,883
The whole standards record, he
did a lot of those standards,
301
00:34:52,883 --> 00:34:56,059
weren't really standards
until he brought them back
302
00:34:56,059 --> 00:34:58,096
into the jazz meilleur.
303
00:34:58,096 --> 00:35:00,512
- Right, he one time
described it as,
304
00:35:00,512 --> 00:35:02,169
I was starting to
do a list of them,
305
00:35:02,169 --> 00:35:04,481
and he said, he named a
few others and he said,
306
00:35:04,481 --> 00:35:07,312
"Songs no one ever
recorded before
307
00:35:07,312 --> 00:35:09,176
"and no one will
ever record again."
308
00:35:09,176 --> 00:35:10,798
And as somebody else
pointed out to me
309
00:35:10,798 --> 00:35:12,040
when I told that to them,
310
00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:13,628
of course they never
record them again,
311
00:35:13,628 --> 00:35:15,837
it's because Sonny has made
the definitive versions.
312
00:35:15,837 --> 00:35:18,702
It'd be crazy to record
some of those songs again.
313
00:35:18,702 --> 00:35:21,360
- Well, I met Lucille in Chicago
314
00:35:22,741 --> 00:35:26,503
when I was playing
Max Roach's group.
315
00:35:26,503 --> 00:35:30,266
And Lucille was a friend
of a friend of mine,
316
00:35:31,750 --> 00:35:35,202
actually it was a musician
that I was rehearsing with
317
00:35:35,202 --> 00:35:39,067
at the time, and this
musician had a girlfriend
318
00:35:39,067 --> 00:35:42,070
who was a girlfriend of
Lucille's so they both
319
00:35:42,070 --> 00:35:43,486
got together, I think,
320
00:35:43,486 --> 00:35:46,523
and came down to see
us play some place.
321
00:35:46,523 --> 00:35:50,665
- The same girl or woman
that Sonny talked about
322
00:35:50,665 --> 00:35:54,669
who was my friend had
told me a lot about Sonny.
323
00:35:55,808 --> 00:35:58,466
She sort of wanted us to meet.
324
00:35:58,466 --> 00:36:00,399
And when I met him I knew,
325
00:36:00,399 --> 00:36:01,676
I knew right away
326
00:36:01,676 --> 00:36:03,264
that this was going to
be something special.
327
00:36:03,264 --> 00:36:05,646
I don't believe
he did but I did.
328
00:36:05,646 --> 00:36:09,201
And I was determined
that this was the guy.
329
00:36:11,341 --> 00:36:13,826
She told me not to do
this because she said
330
00:36:13,826 --> 00:36:16,346
you're gonna get hurt
and don't get involved.
331
00:36:16,346 --> 00:36:18,659
Just have a good time
but don't get involved.
332
00:36:18,659 --> 00:36:19,901
But I did. [laughs]
333
00:36:19,901 --> 00:36:21,455
I did the booking
for a long time.
334
00:36:21,455 --> 00:36:24,803
Now I just do the managing
and occasional booking.
335
00:36:24,803 --> 00:36:26,080
- Occasionally booking.
336
00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:27,530
- But I love it.
337
00:36:27,530 --> 00:36:31,223
And the producing came
about because I was always
338
00:36:31,223 --> 00:36:34,502
involved anyway and
starting about '78,
339
00:36:35,917 --> 00:36:38,265
there was a particularly
difficult record,
340
00:36:38,265 --> 00:36:40,439
the Don't Stop the
Carnival album,
341
00:36:40,439 --> 00:36:41,613
which was a...
342
00:36:45,237 --> 00:36:47,239
There were great
problems with that album
343
00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:51,105
and Sonny was reluctant to
go in the studio to mix it
344
00:36:51,105 --> 00:36:54,177
so Orrin and I, Orrin Keepnews,
345
00:36:54,177 --> 00:36:55,834
who was Sonny's
producer at that time.
346
00:36:55,834 --> 00:36:58,250
- [Sonny] At that time, yeah.
347
00:36:59,665 --> 00:37:02,875
- Decided that if Sonny
would let us we would mix it
348
00:37:02,875 --> 00:37:03,945
to spare him.
349
00:37:05,188 --> 00:37:08,260
And I think he was
sort of at the point,
350
00:37:08,260 --> 00:37:10,089
he said, "Okay, go ahead."
351
00:37:10,089 --> 00:37:11,919
And so then it just
changed from there.
352
00:37:11,919 --> 00:37:15,647
And finally we decided that
we wanted to do everything
353
00:37:15,647 --> 00:37:19,167
our own way instead
of having anybody else
354
00:37:22,550 --> 00:37:26,727
to say do this this way
or this way or this way,
355
00:37:26,727 --> 00:37:28,763
we wanted to do it the way
356
00:37:28,763 --> 00:37:32,560
that was most
comfortable for Sonny.
357
00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:34,631
And it wasn't
anything against Orrin
358
00:37:34,631 --> 00:37:36,909
because we're still
friends but it was
359
00:37:36,909 --> 00:37:39,533
just we wanted to
do it all our way.
360
00:37:39,533 --> 00:37:41,673
- Sonny Rollins on
records is very often not
361
00:37:41,673 --> 00:37:43,675
the Sonny Rollins
that we hear live.
362
00:37:43,675 --> 00:37:45,573
When I first started
reading jazz criticism
363
00:37:45,573 --> 00:37:48,818
and listening to the records,
I remember a critic reviewing
364
00:37:48,818 --> 00:37:51,269
the recording he made for
RCA in the early '60s of
365
00:37:51,269 --> 00:37:53,616
If Ever I Would Leave You
and saying it's a good record
366
00:37:53,616 --> 00:37:55,825
but it certainly can't
compare with the extraordinary
367
00:37:55,825 --> 00:37:58,137
performance he gave at
such and such a place.
368
00:37:58,137 --> 00:37:59,380
And I thought this
is remarkable.
369
00:37:59,380 --> 00:38:01,140
It seemed to me, I was
very naive of course,
370
00:38:01,140 --> 00:38:04,109
and I thought it's amazing
that they wouldn't keep
371
00:38:04,109 --> 00:38:06,663
doing takes until they
got something as good.
372
00:38:06,663 --> 00:38:10,564
But really that's been a
constant throughout his career.
373
00:38:10,564 --> 00:38:14,188
We all have memories of some
To a Wild Rose that he played
374
00:38:14,188 --> 00:38:16,432
that we'll never forget and
the version on the record
375
00:38:16,432 --> 00:38:18,779
isn't quite up to that.
376
00:38:18,779 --> 00:38:21,057
Every time for a long
time in the mid-'70s
377
00:38:21,057 --> 00:38:23,266
whenever I reviewed
Sonny in concert
378
00:38:23,266 --> 00:38:25,855
I would get letters from
people around the country
379
00:38:25,855 --> 00:38:27,305
telling me that I was nuts.
380
00:38:27,305 --> 00:38:29,272
How can you compare the
latest Sonny Rollins record
381
00:38:29,272 --> 00:38:33,932
with Way Out West or
Saxophone Colossus or Workout?
382
00:38:33,932 --> 00:38:36,624
And I would always tell them
you have to see him live.
383
00:38:36,624 --> 00:38:38,419
And then finally in late '70s,
384
00:38:38,419 --> 00:38:40,110
or I guess it was
maybe the early '80s,
385
00:38:40,110 --> 00:38:43,597
Fantasy put out Don't
Stop the Carnival
386
00:38:43,597 --> 00:38:45,357
and it's got two
performances on it,
387
00:38:45,357 --> 00:38:47,221
Silver City and Autumn Nocturne
388
00:38:47,221 --> 00:38:49,810
that are among the great
Rollins masterpieces.
389
00:38:49,810 --> 00:38:51,605
And two of the people who
had written me those letters
390
00:38:51,605 --> 00:38:54,401
wrote me back and said,
"Just heard that record,
391
00:38:54,401 --> 00:38:56,472
"now I understand what
you were talking about."
392
00:38:56,472 --> 00:38:59,923
So, Rollins really is the
ultimate example of a musician
393
00:38:59,923 --> 00:39:01,615
who proves the old
adage about jazz
394
00:39:01,615 --> 00:39:03,962
which is that the music
is very much a process of
395
00:39:03,962 --> 00:39:05,826
communication between a
player and the audience
396
00:39:05,826 --> 00:39:07,966
and sometimes for Sonny
it just does not happen
397
00:39:07,966 --> 00:39:10,555
when he's playing
to a glass booth.
398
00:39:10,555 --> 00:39:11,970
- In his defense though, Gary,
399
00:39:11,970 --> 00:39:14,144
don't you think the
records are getting better?
400
00:39:14,144 --> 00:39:15,836
- Oh yes, I'm glad
you said that.
401
00:39:15,836 --> 00:39:17,216
- [Francis] He's
abandoned that approach.
402
00:39:17,216 --> 00:39:19,287
Not bringing in Donald
Byrd or whomever.
403
00:39:19,287 --> 00:39:23,326
- Ever since Sonny and Lucille
started producing themselves,
404
00:39:23,326 --> 00:39:24,810
I think the records
have gotten better.
405
00:39:24,810 --> 00:39:28,952
- I get very angry and I
get these nice fantasies.
406
00:39:28,952 --> 00:39:32,956
I think I told you of
having a jazz critic up to
407
00:39:34,510 --> 00:39:37,098
a 39th floor apartment
and telling him
408
00:39:37,098 --> 00:39:40,550
to look out the window and
just step further, further.
409
00:39:40,550 --> 00:39:42,794
I have very nice fantasies.
410
00:39:43,726 --> 00:39:46,729
[speaking Japanese]
411
00:40:01,778 --> 00:40:04,436
[banging drums]
412
00:40:05,403 --> 00:40:07,370
- I've always wanted, actually,
413
00:40:07,370 --> 00:40:10,856
to work in different
musical environments.
414
00:40:12,064 --> 00:40:15,309
The opportunity to do
this piece came about
415
00:40:17,484 --> 00:40:20,348
through my sponsors
here in Japan.
416
00:40:21,764 --> 00:40:25,940
And they asked me would I
like to do an orchestral piece
417
00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:29,875
this time around.
418
00:40:29,875 --> 00:40:33,051
So of course I said
I'd love to do it.
419
00:40:34,224 --> 00:40:37,642
I've never done anything
quite like this before
420
00:40:37,642 --> 00:40:39,816
and because of that, of course,
421
00:40:39,816 --> 00:40:43,441
I sought the help of
a good friend of mine,
422
00:40:44,683 --> 00:40:48,480
old musical companion of
mine, Heikki Sarmanto.
423
00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:52,208
- I was in South America
doing some playing
424
00:40:52,208 --> 00:40:54,521
and I came back to Helsinki,
425
00:40:57,731 --> 00:41:01,666
I flew first to New York
and stayed there one day.
426
00:41:01,666 --> 00:41:06,187
And I was trying to call
my old friend Sonny Rollins
427
00:41:06,187 --> 00:41:07,879
but I couldn't reach
him in New York.
428
00:41:07,879 --> 00:41:11,434
I spent there only one night
and then I commuted back home
429
00:41:11,434 --> 00:41:14,782
to Helsinki and as I
walk into my apartment
430
00:41:14,782 --> 00:41:18,890
with all the luggage in
my hand, the phone rings.
431
00:41:20,547 --> 00:41:21,617
And guess who it is?
432
00:41:21,617 --> 00:41:23,308
It's Sonny.
433
00:41:23,308 --> 00:41:27,795
And Sonny says, "I have
this thing in Japan.
434
00:41:27,795 --> 00:41:29,176
"Would you be interested?"
435
00:41:29,176 --> 00:41:31,661
[piano music]
436
00:41:42,189 --> 00:41:44,156
- The themes were mine.
437
00:41:44,156 --> 00:41:47,643
I labored over
them for some time
438
00:41:47,643 --> 00:41:51,129
trying to come up
with what would sound
439
00:41:51,129 --> 00:41:53,718
proper in this context.
440
00:41:53,718 --> 00:41:57,480
And I asked Heikki to
orchestrate them for me
441
00:42:00,069 --> 00:42:03,693
and to also conduct
the orchestra for me.
442
00:42:03,693 --> 00:42:05,868
[singing]
443
00:42:13,531 --> 00:42:15,015
- And back to the beginning.
444
00:42:15,015 --> 00:42:17,431
And there the trumpets are
beginning this letter here.
445
00:42:17,431 --> 00:42:18,570
Trumpets are coming in.
446
00:42:18,570 --> 00:42:20,745
[singing]
447
00:42:39,557 --> 00:42:41,282
While that's coming, the
trumpets are coming in.
448
00:42:41,282 --> 00:42:43,457
[singing]
449
00:42:46,356 --> 00:42:48,117
Very Spanish feeling.
450
00:43:02,027 --> 00:43:04,789
[Heikki mumbles]
451
00:43:04,789 --> 00:43:06,963
[singing]
452
00:43:19,389 --> 00:43:21,702
Then we go to that theme.
453
00:43:21,702 --> 00:43:23,877
[singing]
454
00:43:25,603 --> 00:43:27,984
That's it, the rest right?
455
00:43:27,984 --> 00:43:32,023
One very important thing
is that those ideas
456
00:43:32,023 --> 00:43:36,510
he had originally created,
those little thematic patterns,
457
00:43:36,510 --> 00:43:39,824
they were so incredibly
strong, melodic,
458
00:43:41,929 --> 00:43:44,035
very meaningful melodies.
459
00:43:47,107 --> 00:43:50,558
They were the seed
for this whole piece.
460
00:43:50,558 --> 00:43:54,183
If you have even a tiny
little thematic pattern,
461
00:43:54,183 --> 00:43:58,532
just a couple of bars, but
if it's really good, strong,
462
00:43:58,532 --> 00:44:02,363
original line, from
that you can make
463
00:44:02,363 --> 00:44:04,193
a whole big tree grow up.
464
00:44:04,193 --> 00:44:05,850
- I have been called
465
00:44:08,024 --> 00:44:11,131
a spontaneous
orchestrator and so on.
466
00:44:14,997 --> 00:44:18,586
Of course this is not a
spontaneous orchestration
467
00:44:18,586 --> 00:44:23,384
in that sense but I hope to
bring some of those qualities
468
00:44:23,384 --> 00:44:27,561
to this piece in that I will
still be improvising myself
469
00:44:28,458 --> 00:44:30,771
on many sections of it.
470
00:44:30,771 --> 00:44:34,948
No two performances of this
concerto will be alike.
471
00:44:36,432 --> 00:44:40,574
And in that sense, it will
be true to what I'm about.
472
00:44:42,265 --> 00:44:44,509
It is very much structured.
473
00:44:45,855 --> 00:44:49,376
And what will be different
will be my relation
474
00:44:50,549 --> 00:44:54,208
to the structure, each
time will be different.
475
00:46:53,086 --> 00:46:57,262
- I put them all together
because we all have to play it.
476
00:47:00,334 --> 00:47:01,646
That should be it because
477
00:47:01,646 --> 00:47:04,580
they keep the whole
thing together.
478
00:47:06,030 --> 00:47:08,377
- They need a little soft--
- Yeah, a little soft there.
479
00:47:08,377 --> 00:47:11,345
I think it's going to
be a dynamite concert.
480
00:47:11,345 --> 00:47:13,831
[laughs]
481
00:47:13,831 --> 00:47:16,937
Probably like most premieres,
482
00:47:16,937 --> 00:47:19,871
it's not gonna be
technically finished yet
483
00:47:19,871 --> 00:47:24,082
but it will have the first
performance excitement.
484
00:47:24,082 --> 00:47:26,740
- I'm actually quite
excited about it
485
00:47:26,740 --> 00:47:28,880
and looking forward to it.
486
00:47:46,587 --> 00:47:50,246
[dramatic orchestral music]
487
00:55:57,423 --> 00:56:01,012
When I first came to
Japan sometime ago
488
00:56:01,012 --> 00:56:05,362
I was very pleased to find
that the Japanese fans
489
00:56:05,362 --> 00:56:08,641
were very much aware
of the birth dates
490
00:56:10,850 --> 00:56:14,301
and the history of all
of the jazz musicians,
491
00:56:14,301 --> 00:56:16,131
myself included.
492
00:56:16,131 --> 00:56:19,548
And I was very much
excited about that.
493
00:56:19,548 --> 00:56:22,689
And I find that they're
a very good audience.
494
00:56:22,689 --> 00:56:23,897
Very fine audience.
495
00:56:23,897 --> 00:56:27,142
They take their
music very seriously.
496
00:56:27,142 --> 00:56:30,076
They keep up with
everything that's happening,
497
00:56:30,076 --> 00:56:34,252
all the latest
developments in the music.
498
00:56:34,252 --> 00:56:38,360
- These musicians here in
the symphony orchestra,
499
00:56:39,499 --> 00:56:41,812
they are just
amazingly professional.
500
00:56:41,812 --> 00:56:44,297
It's a very difficult piece
of music, my goodness,
501
00:56:44,297 --> 00:56:47,404
and they have never been
playing this type of music
502
00:56:47,404 --> 00:56:51,856
because frankly, I have never
heard this type of piece
503
00:56:51,856 --> 00:56:55,377
being written for
symphony orchestra.
504
00:56:55,377 --> 00:56:59,519
So this whole experience
was very new for all of us,
505
00:57:00,727 --> 00:57:03,592
for Sonny, myself
and the orchestra.
506
01:03:37,330 --> 01:03:38,780
- I try to always
507
01:03:41,956 --> 01:03:43,958
inject in my work with a
508
01:03:46,684 --> 01:03:50,723
spiritual quality, it
sounds kind of grandiose
509
01:03:50,723 --> 01:03:53,036
to put it in that way but...
510
01:03:55,383 --> 01:03:58,110
I have studied
Zen in Japan here.
511
01:04:00,388 --> 01:04:01,941
I did study.
512
01:04:01,941 --> 01:04:03,943
I studied yoga in India.
513
01:04:06,152 --> 01:04:10,329
Of course, I was born a
Christian in the United States
514
01:04:11,709 --> 01:04:15,265
and I found elements
of all these religions
515
01:04:16,853 --> 01:04:19,856
that are quite
similar in many ways.
516
01:04:23,169 --> 01:04:27,035
So, philosophy,
religion, spirituality,
517
01:04:27,035 --> 01:04:30,521
all these things, it's
never very far away from
518
01:04:30,521 --> 01:04:33,524
what I'm doing at any time.
519
01:04:33,524 --> 01:04:37,528
And I'm sure that when
I'm playing here in Japan
520
01:04:39,151 --> 01:04:42,326
that's the case as it
is when I'm playing
521
01:04:42,326 --> 01:04:45,122
in the United States and
other parts of the world.
522
01:04:45,122 --> 01:04:48,815
[dramatic orchestral music]
523
01:11:52,825 --> 01:11:56,001
[audience applauding]
524
01:11:57,761 --> 01:12:01,800
My parents come from the
Caribbean area of the world,
525
01:12:01,800 --> 01:12:03,146
the islands, and
526
01:12:05,769 --> 01:12:09,946
it might be significant that
Japan of course is an island.
527
01:12:12,949 --> 01:12:17,125
And on our last trip to Japan,
there's an area of Japan
528
01:12:18,541 --> 01:12:22,579
near Hiroshima and we were
traveling from one part
529
01:12:24,926 --> 01:12:29,655
of Japan to another and
we were nearing Hiroshima
530
01:12:29,655 --> 01:12:33,832
and I happened to, it was
striking the resemblance
531
01:12:35,420 --> 01:12:39,493
between the island and
the area in the Caribbean,
532
01:12:41,564 --> 01:12:43,669
it was very much similar.
533
01:12:45,637 --> 01:12:49,744
And it never really occurred
to me until then but
534
01:12:51,228 --> 01:12:54,922
it so happened that after
that, not too long after that,
535
01:12:54,922 --> 01:12:58,546
a Japanese friend of mine
brought up the fact that
536
01:12:58,546 --> 01:13:01,929
perhaps this is the reason
why I'm so liked in Japan
537
01:13:01,929 --> 01:13:05,484
because the island
connection is there
538
01:13:05,484 --> 01:13:07,417
in some mysterious way.
539
01:13:08,832 --> 01:13:12,353
So being a guy that's
kind of mysterious myself,
540
01:13:12,353 --> 01:13:15,391
I thought hey, it's
alright, why not?
541
01:13:16,564 --> 01:13:19,671
So I'm all for it
if that's happening.
542
01:20:37,177 --> 01:20:39,800
I've been here now, this
will be my twelfth time
543
01:20:39,800 --> 01:20:42,734
that I've been in
Japan for a tour.
544
01:20:44,115 --> 01:20:47,290
So I think the
Japanese people like me
545
01:20:48,188 --> 01:20:49,914
and I like the Japanese people.
546
01:20:49,914 --> 01:20:54,573
I like all people, I
consider myself like most
547
01:20:54,573 --> 01:20:59,268
jazz musicians do as diplomats
of course and ambassadors
548
01:20:59,268 --> 01:21:03,375
for the United States and we're
usually treated quite well
549
01:21:06,033 --> 01:21:09,761
around the world and so I
take my job in that respect
550
01:21:09,761 --> 01:21:11,073
quite seriously.
551
01:21:12,626 --> 01:21:16,802
And I find that I've been
accepted here by the Japanese
552
01:21:19,840 --> 01:21:23,982
and I also accept them and
like them quite a great deal.
553
01:29:01,612 --> 01:29:04,787
[audience applauding]
554
01:29:17,904 --> 01:29:20,009
I'm not that well-known.
555
01:29:20,009 --> 01:29:24,255
I'm not the most famous
person in the world
556
01:29:24,255 --> 01:29:27,016
so a lot of places
where we play,
557
01:29:27,016 --> 01:29:30,088
people don't know
anything about me at all.
558
01:29:30,088 --> 01:29:33,747
I have played places where
I play in front of people
559
01:29:33,747 --> 01:29:36,094
that really don't know
anything about me.
560
01:29:36,094 --> 01:29:39,995
So in a way, when I'm
presented as the greatest
561
01:29:39,995 --> 01:29:43,205
or one of the greatest
or something like that,
562
01:29:43,205 --> 01:29:47,382
it gives me a little leeway
and people are not quite so
563
01:29:49,660 --> 01:29:51,489
hostile and judging of me.
564
01:29:51,489 --> 01:29:55,666
So I'm able to sort of walk
in and feel a little more
565
01:29:56,839 --> 01:30:00,498
able to lead into things
in a more natural way
566
01:30:00,498 --> 01:30:02,742
instead of really having to
567
01:30:04,433 --> 01:30:08,161
prove everything I play
every minute that I play it.
568
01:30:08,161 --> 01:30:10,474
I don't feel I'm the
greatest anything,
569
01:30:10,474 --> 01:30:13,408
I still feel I'm a
developing musician
570
01:30:13,408 --> 01:30:17,066
so as far as I'm
concerned I'm still
571
01:30:17,066 --> 01:30:19,414
proving it to
myself all the time,
572
01:30:19,414 --> 01:30:23,832
but it's good when I don't
have to prove it to audiences.
573
01:30:23,832 --> 01:30:25,454
- One thing I'd like
to say about Sonny,
574
01:30:25,454 --> 01:30:28,388
and we haven't touched
on it, is his marvelous
575
01:30:28,388 --> 01:30:31,460
interpretation of his
West Indian heritage
576
01:30:31,460 --> 01:30:33,497
and the way he plays
those kind of songs.
577
01:30:33,497 --> 01:30:37,362
And I remember being down in
Saint Thomas for the first time
578
01:30:37,362 --> 01:30:38,640
and this was after Sonny
579
01:30:38,640 --> 01:30:41,021
had done the song
called St. Thomas,
580
01:30:41,021 --> 01:30:44,231
and walking along
the street one night
581
01:30:44,231 --> 01:30:46,889
passing under a window where
there was a dance going on
582
01:30:46,889 --> 01:30:49,236
and the saxophone player
in that band down there,
583
01:30:49,236 --> 01:30:51,791
who was not a jazz band,
they were playing Calypso,
584
01:30:51,791 --> 01:30:54,656
but the sound that he
got was exactly the sound
585
01:30:54,656 --> 01:30:58,832
that Sonny can get when he
wants to duplicate that style
586
01:31:00,040 --> 01:31:03,319
in addition to doing
a lot of other things
587
01:31:03,319 --> 01:31:06,253
with the improvisation
on something like
588
01:31:06,253 --> 01:31:09,567
Don't Stop the Carnival
or Hold 'Em Joe.
589
01:33:33,124 --> 01:33:37,232
- There was a time in my
career when I thought that my
590
01:33:37,232 --> 01:33:40,822
soloing and my playing
would be able to turn
591
01:33:40,822 --> 01:33:42,237
the world around.
592
01:33:42,237 --> 01:33:46,344
I'd be able to change
politics and influence things
593
01:33:46,344 --> 01:33:48,174
for the better.
594
01:33:48,174 --> 01:33:50,279
I don't have these
illusions anymore.
595
01:33:50,279 --> 01:33:53,558
Now, all I want to
do is to maybe bring
596
01:33:56,078 --> 01:33:58,874
enjoyment to myself and
enjoyment to those people that
597
01:33:58,874 --> 01:34:03,741
appreciate a little bit of
my art and what I'm doing.
598
01:34:03,741 --> 01:34:07,918
And I think that just being
able to do that is plenty.
599
01:34:09,333 --> 01:34:12,612
- To me, and people could
say I'm not objective,
600
01:34:12,612 --> 01:34:16,754
I feel his playing is much
stronger and more beautiful now
601
01:34:18,031 --> 01:34:19,550
than it's ever been.
602
01:34:19,550 --> 01:34:23,934
I think not only, and I'm
not talking just technically,
603
01:34:23,934 --> 01:34:27,627
but I think because he's changed
as a person over the years
604
01:34:27,627 --> 01:34:32,563
and I sense more, and somebody
else commented on this
605
01:34:32,563 --> 01:34:34,565
the other day so
it's not just me,
606
01:34:34,565 --> 01:34:38,327
that there's now more
warmth and more feeling
607
01:34:38,327 --> 01:34:41,399
and more depth than
ever in his playing.
608
01:34:41,399 --> 01:34:43,539
And I've never heard
him play better
609
01:34:43,539 --> 01:34:44,920
and I honestly mean that.
610
01:34:44,920 --> 01:34:48,683
And I'm in awe of his
playing aside from loving him
611
01:34:48,683 --> 01:34:51,996
as my husband, I think
he's spectacular.
612
01:39:37,661 --> 01:39:40,836
[audience applauding]
613
01:40:16,493 --> 01:40:19,496
[audience cheering]
46592
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