Sonny Rollins has Passed

I would not say it is a surprise, but it is still a shame that Sonny Rollins has just died at the age of 95.  He had major lung issues, stemming from living near ground central of 9/11, and hadn't played live in probably at least a decade.  I'm trying to recollect how many times I actually saw him play live.  I think I saw him twice in NYC, including once near Lincoln Center.  And then probably twice in Chicago as part of the Jazz Festival.  One year they brought in Ornette Coleman and Sonny Rollins.  I saw both concerts (not appreciating when Ornette noodled on trumpet), but I don't think they actually played together.  That is probably just a false memory or wishful thinking.  I will say that I thought it was a real shame that Sonny Rollins put together a band that didn't challenge him at all, and he mostly just coasted on playing calypso-based music.  Entertaining for sure, but it all felt pretty stagnant.  

I vaguely remember liking his late albums nearly as much as his classic work from the 50s and 60s.  I'm not sure if I hung onto all of them, but I probably ripped most of his late albums, and hopefully I can turn up those files.  I think I'll start off trying to track down Global Warming (from 1998) and some of the Road Show live compilations.

Anyway, he was one of the last links to jazz's glory years.  Now Herbie Hancock is still around and still touring in his 80s, and I probably will go see him at Massey Hall this summer.  (I should try to just book my ticket soon.)  He also is in a bit of a rut (and plays his keytar long past the point of welcome), but he does bring along more adventurous artists, and this time around it looks like he is bringing Terrence Blanchard, so I should go.

It's not that surprising that artists don't always play what you hope to hear when they tour.  I actually have heard Wayne Shorter at least once and probably twice in Chicago, and was underwhelmed each time.

Totally, off topic (aside from a very untimely death), but Andy Kershaw, the UK DJ and music promoter, passed away a month ago.  He favoured all kinds of music but was really best known for bringing world music to UK audiences (and had a strong dislike of Fela Kuti for some reason).  The messiness of his personal life was a bit of a distraction, but he still was putting together some interesting shows, some of which are still available on BBC Music (if you are in the right region).  I listened and probably have recorded almost everything he did on Music Planet from 2011 on until they changed presenters, and then he had a bit of a comeback with a shorter series, as well as Songs from Andy's Kitchen (or something like that).  And he had a pretty amusing appearance on Desert Island Discs, which I probably have somewhere as well.  (I clearly need to organize my music files much, much better!)  Fortunately, I do know where my copies of Great Moments in Vinyl History Vol 1 and 2 are and have played them a couple of times recently.  

There is also a tribute show up for another couple of weeks on the Music Planet site and this program from Andy's Kitchen may or may not still be available.