“Jazz improvisation is supposed to be the highest form of communication,” Sonny Rollins says, “and getting that to the people is our job as musicians.”
On August 12, 1958, Esquire magazine captured 57 of the greatest jazz musicians of the time in front of a Harlem brownstone.
It was a time capsule of African-American excellence, creativity, and cultural impact.
Sadly Sonny Rollins, the last surviving musician of that famous photo – a.k.a A Great Day In Harlem – left us on May 25th, at the grand old age of 95.
Rollins was a sax superstar whose huge tone, melodic improvisation, and fearless experimentation made him a central figure in bebop, hard bop, and modern jazz.
Stick on his 1957 album Saxophone Colossus if you get a chance, it’s a wonder.
