Walter Theodore “Sonny” Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a leader. A number of his compositions, including “St. Thomas”, “Oleo”, “Doxy”, “Pent-Up House”, and “Airegin”, have become jazz standards. Rollins has been called “the greatest living improviser” and the “Saxophone Colossus”.
instruments played
(soprano)
saxophone
Tenor
Associated Acts
Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham, Art Farmer, Dizzy Gillespie, Babs Gonzales, J.J. Johnson, Jackie McLean, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Max Roach, Modern Jazz Quartet
Birth Name
Walter Theodore Rollins
Genres
Jazz, hard bop
Labels
Prestige, Blue Note, Contemporary, RCA Victor, Impulse!, Milestone, Doxy, Okeh, EmArcy/Doxy
Occupations
Musician, composer, bandleader
Website
Years Active
1947 2012
Name
Sonny Rollins
Nationality
United States of America