Phil Bray - Milestone
Milestone
Milestone
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b. Theodore Walter Rollins, 7 September 1929,
New York, USA. Although an older brother played violin and, at the age of nine, he took
piano lessons, Rollins was destined for the saxophone. In 1944 he played alto saxophone in
high school and when he left in 1947 he began gigging round New York on tenor. His first
inspiration was Coleman
Hawkins, but he was well aware of the beboppers, many of whom lived in his
neighbourhood. His first recording date was with scat-singer Babs Gonzalez for Capitol
Records
in 1948. Soon he was recording with Bud
Powell, Fats
Navarro and J.J. Johnson, who recorded his first composition, 'Audubon'.
Rollins's assured version of Charlie
Parker on tenor was embraced by the top jazz artists: in 1949 he played with Art
Blakey, in 1950 with Tadd
Dameron, in 1951 with Miles
Davis and in 1953 with Thelonious
Monk. In 1954 Davis recorded with Rollins, including in the set three important
Rollins compositions: 'Airegin' (Nigeria backwards - a salute to the newly independent
African state), 'Oleo' and 'Doxy'. However, Rollins left for Chicago and Davis chose John
Coltrane when he formed his new quintet. In January 1956, when the Clifford
Brown / Max
Roach quintet lost its tenor ( Harold
Land) in Chicago, Rollins stepped in, and played with them for 18 months. After
that, Rollins began leading his own groups. In May 1956 he recorded Tenor
Madness for Prestige, with the Paul
Chambers / Philly
Joe Jones rhythm team from Coltrane's group. The title track consisted of a mighty
'tenor battle' with Coltrane himself, Rollins's melodious expansion contrasting with
Coltrane's pressure-cooker angularity. In
April 1956 Rollins recorded Saxophone
Colossus, generally regarded as his first masterpiece. However, the advent of Ornette
Coleman caused a deal of self-reflection and he retired for two years (1959-1960),
amidst rumours that he was practising on Williamsburg Bridge. In 1961 he re-emerged to
work with Jim
Hall and then with two musicians associated with Ornette: trumpeter Don
Cherry and drummer Billy
Higgins. Our Man In Jazz shows him taking on the new freedoms with confidence and
passion: the 20-minute 'Oleo' was a tour
de force. He then toured as a soloist, using local rhythm sections (European tours in
1965, 1966 and 1967). In 1966 he recorded East
Broadway Rundown with the Jimmy Garrison / Elvin
Jones rhythm section from Coltrane's classic quartet. The music, with its
blistering title track and tremulous version of 'We Kiss In A Shadow' was superb, but it
was indicative of Rollins's problems that it was a one-off group. Rollins found it
difficult to deal with the possibilities opened up by the assaults on form of the avant
garde. He again took a two-year sabbatical (1968-71), this time studying in India and
Japan.
In 1973 he recorded Horn
Culture using electric accompaniment. On electric bass Bob Cranshaw lacked the
fire he had shown on Our Man In Jazz and despite Rollins's self-overdubs and
characteristically ambitious solos, he seemed to be mired in pedestrian jazz-rock. The
Cutting Edge (1974) had a bravura a cappella rendition of 'To A Wild Rose' but a
similarly subdued band. In 1978 he toured with the Milestone All Stars. Here, a band of
the stature of McCoy Tyner, Ron
Carter and Al Foster could not fail to spark him, but these musicians were
all leaders in their own right and could not work with him regularly. At this point
Rollins refused all further nightclub performances and resolved to play festivals and
concert halls exclusively. In 1985 Rollins attempted to do without rhythm sections
altogether in The
Solo Album and then toured Europe with a band featuring ex- Weather
Report bassist Victor Bailey and drummer Tommy Campbell. In 1986 his Concerto For
Saxophone And Orchestra was premiered in Japan. 1988 saw him linking up with some of the
new names of the jazz revival: Marvin 'Smitty' Smith provided him with ferociously good
drumming at live appearances. However, a rather tight and commercial sound made Dancing
In The Dark unsatisfactory. Rollins is a soloist par excellence. His indecision about
the form of his music - whether it is to be free/electric/acoustic - reflects the general
quandary of jazz in the 80s. He is still capable of the solo flights that caused Davis to
vote for him as 'greatest tenor ever' in a poll conducted by Leonard Feather at the
end of the 60s.
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Copyright Muze UK Ltd. 1989
- 1998 |
