[clarnut]

In anticipation of Sonny's upcoming Kennedy Center award, he was interviewed on the Newhour

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/july-dec11/sonnyrollins_11-29.html

Long live Sonny!

 

[sideC]

Thanks for posting that. Very informative....he's still out there, and still practicing! Sonny Rollins is always a great inspiration to me.

 

[jlima]

Fascinating, as always. I love this part:

"SONNY ROLLINS: Well, Jeffrey, improvisation is something which is highly misunderstood these days.

Improvisation -- I think my friend Branford Marsalis, saxophonist, he explained it very good. Improvisation is really not so much remembering things. And this is what I do when I play. I forget things. When I go on the stage, I want my mind to be a blank, so that I can -- things can come into me without my knowing where they came from.

JEFFREY BROWN: So are you surprised by what comes out?

SONNY ROLLINS: Sometimes, I'm surprised by what comes out, yes."

 

[evan1]

Hey Jilma - I am not convinced by the quote when Sonny says things come into me not knowing where they come from. Granted Sonny in my eyes is a genius, but not knowing where they come from is a stretch or misleading in my opinion.

 

[jlima]

Maybe I liked the quote so much because in my mind that's what I dream I would be able to do one day: just be surprised by what comes out in my playing.

 

[evan1]

I get what you are saying and this is an interesting, philosophical debate if you like, and probably more about ones character than anything else. The way i work, is 99% what I play is what i know. Its really the truth for me. But I need to modernize my approach, given i still play in a post bop fashion. Its nothing new what i play. i am going to start learning transcriptions from players of the brecker school but not limited to him. I really enjoy some of the sounds and discord. Joe henderson is the forefather of that school i believe.

 

[Kelly Bucheger]

Hey Jilma - I am not convinced by the quote when Sonny says things come into me not knowing where they come from. Granted Sonny in my eyes is a genius, but not knowing where they come from is a stretch or misleading in my opinion.

Within the context of what Sonny's saying here, "I want my mind to be a blank," I think that's a pretty straightforward and reasonable description of getting into "the zone" -- and that's a space where you can indeed be surprised by what comes out of your horn!

That zone is the place where you stop giving a hoot about "Are people digging this?" or "Do I sound good?" or "If I play this hip lick folks'll thing I'm cool" or any of the other conscious and self-referential awareness/crap that inhibits creative playing and keeps most of our improvisational efforts entrenched and earthbound.

Sonny's been at this thing for decades, longer than some of our GRANDparents have been alive, and he's on another level from the rest of the herd (as in: us!), AND he's a thoughtful guy to boot, who's pondered this stuff in a deep way: so, dagnabbit, I'm taking the man at his word, and I don't think he's being misleading in any way when he discusses this stuff!

 

[jlima]

Great points here, Kelly. I too think that Sonny is being completely honest. Even humble - he says "Sometimes I am [surprised]". He doesn't say he's able to get into the zone all the time.

 

[Grumps]

What Sonny is saying is that regurgitating lines and licks is not improvisation.

 

[jlima]

What Sonny is saying is that regurgitating lines and licks is not improvisation.

Exactly!

 

[saxphil]

... and sometimes there are some good moments.

 

[hallkat]

This is how I play all the time as I cant seem to remember anything.....so I just hope something comes out that sounds ok.....must be getting older