How to put the island back in "St Thomas"

A couple of things:

Seems like a lot of folks these days play St. Thomas too fast, and the rhythm section goes into "Samba Machine" mode. Max Roach does a lot to set the non-samba feel of the tune by turning the snares off the drum and playing some stuff similar to a typical Rhumba pattern,

But getting back to Sonny: He definitely mixes things up a lot, but when he's in full on Calypso mode it's all about playing melodies and not licks. The combination of dancing rhythms and VERY tonal, diatonic melodies makes it work. Then when he chooses to use some boppish lines with more chromaticism, it stands out in contrast.

So, if you're practicing with an accompaniment track, try playing several choruses using just 1 or 2 different pitches and concentrate on just improvising lots of rhythms (being sure to lock into the time). Think of you and your saxophone as being a "rhythm" instrument, and part of the rhythm section.

Then, maybe without an accompaniment track so you can take your time, play at a slower tempo, and imagine that you're being asked to write a new melody to the song. (Keeping in mind the qualities of the original melody: simple, repetitive, memorable).

Capturing an "island" feel in your solo will happen when you can combine the two activities.

(Also, if you're of drinking age, several rum-based drinks with lots of fruit and little umbrellas might help!!!)

Good Luck and Have Fun!

Go to Amazon and do a search for "calypso" and several sampler CDs will come up. Some of them will be Steel Drums, some will be pop-calypso a la Harry Belafonte. It'll all give you something to check out.

Another calypso that Sonny Rollins has recorded a few times is "Don't Stop the Carnival". If you can find some live recordings of that, you will not be sorry.

Which brings up something else (which may deserve its own thread, if there isn't one already): Check out http://sonnyrollins.com

On that site Sonny is making available for sale some downloads of live, bootleg recordings of his concerts. For years, many Rollins fans have said that his live performances are a very different animal from his studio recordings. As a result, there are tons of bootlegs floating around (I don't have any, so don't ask). There's a guy who has personally recorded dozens (hundreds?) of Rollins' concerts, and he actually approached Sonny about partnering with him to do some official releases. That's the story behind the "Without a Song 9/11 Concert" CD that came out recently. Started as an unauthorized bootleg, then Sonny gave the OK to release it.

Anyway, on Sonny's site he is offering some mp3's for download, but they're in rotation. There are usually just a handful up at any time, and they only stay up for a few weeks. I seem to recall that the prices vary depending on the length of the cut. Worth checking out!