Broadcast on 06-Sep-2010

Very little need be said about tonight's Jazz Feature except to say that is our way of celebrating Sonny Rollins 80th birthday. He was born in New York on September 7,1930 and is healthy and hale and still performing, recording and touring and of course, documenting his history in interviews and on the web. Mr. Rollins is a living history of Modern Jazz. Tonight's Feature was recorded and issued on Blue Note Records and documents an afternoon and mostly an evening performance at New York's fabled Village Vanguard on November 3, 1957.By this time Rollins was the talk of the Jazz world and emerged as it's most prominent exponent of the tenor saxophone. John Coltrane was at this time still an emerging talent. From the early summer of 1957, Rollins had struck out on his own, first leading a quintet, then a quartet and finally a trio with just bass and drums. This format became his preferred working band until his famous sabbatical in 1959. The afternoon piece featured an obscure bassist named Donald Bailey (not to be confused with the drummer of the same name) and a young New York drummer named Pete LaRoca (Peter Sims)....they play one selection: Dizzy Gillespie's classic; "A Night in Tunisia" then we go to the evening and Sonny is joined by the great self-taught bassist Wilbur Ware and the fiery Elvin Jones on drums. This rhythm section kicks Mr. Rollins into high gear and the rest is Jazz history. This is Sonny at his early peak. A great evening! Happy 80th Mr. Rollins!