DownBeat December 2008 [antikvár]

THE NEW JAZZ COMPOSERS CXTTBT i Neivjazz Ctmiposei's Octet By Jason Koransky Hie New Jmz Composer's Octet has fflled a certain vHai role in jaz^ zeroing in on tiie iiarddriving rliythm and deep hormonk thinldiig off the wee's Blue Note era while creating new music in its own voice. ••DavidAdler Sonny's Take Sonny Rollins did not look forward to scouring through his audio archives to find material for his new live compilation, Road Shows. Vol. I (Doxy). DownBeat readers love listening to Rollins' concerts, as shown by his double win as Jazz Artist and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year in the 73rd Annual Readers Poll featured in this issue (Benny Golson writes about Rollins on Page 38). But the saxophonist sets high musical standards for himself, which can make it painful for him to revisit his shows. "Especially since I lost my wife, I trusted her judgment so I didn't have to listen to a lot of my music," Rollins said from his home in upstate New York. "I listened to it after she gave me preliminary approval. Now I have to do this by myself, mainly, and it's not easy. You hear all of die mistakes, things that could have been done, that should have been done. I ask, 'Why didn'l 1 do it?' I'm looking at myself from a critical point of view. It's hard listening and saying, 'Oh, diat sounds good.' But I have lo do it." Road Shows, Vol. 1 features seven tracks, four from Rollins' archives—including "Some Enchanted Evening" from his 2007 Carnegie Hall trio show with Roy Haynes and Christian McBride—and three from archivist Carl Smith's collection. Of course, Rollins did not listen to all of his archives, which he has built since he started recording his shows in the late '80s. He first tried to remember concerts where he thought the music achieved a particularly high level. Does he think that any "perfect" shows exist in his archives? "I think so," he replied. "I have these nights when everything seems to work out perfectly. If I go back and listen to it, I might not think so. But at the time, it's good. These arc rare occasions, but every now and then we have transcendent performances, where I think they are perfect. "It has to go to a higher level." he continued. 'That's tlie idea of music, to take us away from the world, to take us to a higher level, different places. Thai's whal I'm always trying to do. h's not always a success, but that's the point. The closcr 1 get, it's a better perfonnance." We are living through tumultuous times. It's reassuring to know that artists such iis Rollins— and all of the other artists who won and placed in the Readers Poll—luc on stages in clubs and concen halls, creating music night after night, injecting some creativity into the world. Plus, music is much more than a respite from the day to day—it is a necessary pan of our society, something that gives our world its heartbeat. On Road Shows, Rollins appears to be a musical diplomat, as the cuts were culled from shows in New York, Canada, Japan, France, Sweden and Poland. Does Rollins feel that he had a heightened purpose to his music, given the anticipation of his crowds to be taken on an improvisational journey of the highest order. "When I go out to play for other people, I don't want to think of myself in such lofty terms—I want to be more modest in my self-appraisal—I'm sure I bring some respite to people around the world." he said. "I see myself as having an obligation to be a decent human being, to do to others as you'd want them to do unto you, to be a caring person for other people. This is the philosophy that brings me the most personal peace and happiness." And it's the philosophy that makes Rollins such a deserving recipient of the Readers Poll Jazz Artist and Tenor Saxophone of the Ye;u-awards. DB