BMI Remembers Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins

BMI was truly saddened to learn of the passing of legendary jazz composer, bandleader and saxophonist Sonny Rollins, who died Sunday at the age of 95. An incalculably influential figure in the jazz world, Rollins earned a storied reputation for his prowess on the tenor saxophone and was often cited as being "the greatest living improviser."

Born in Harlem in 1930, Rollins started his career upon completing high school, lending his burgeoning talents to recordings by artists like Babs Gonzales, J.J. Johnson, and Budd Powell. By the 1950's, he was recording with formidable players like Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. Davis later brought Rollins together with pianist Horace Silver, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Kenny Clarke for a recording that featured three of Rollins' original songs and was released as the album, Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins, in 1954.

By the mid-50's, Sonny Rollins was releasing albums of his own, including 1956's landmark LP, Saxophone Colossus, which featured one of his best-known compositions, the Calypso-informed "St. Thomas." By the late '50s, Rollins was continuing to innovate, breaking new ground in the avant-garde sub-genre of free jazz. In 1957, he made his debut at Carnegie Hall. A year later, he recorded yet another milestone LP, Freedom Suite, later re-released as Shadow Waltz.

After a short sabbatical, Sonny Rollins returned with one of his most successful albums, The Bridge, in 1962. While his career would continue to evolve over the next several decades, Rollins would continue to write, record, and perform. At the time of his death, his music had appeared on nearly 100 studio albums. Beyond several honorary doctorates, Rollins won a GRAMMY Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2004, a National Medal of Arts in 2010 and was celebrated with the Kennedy Center Honors for his 81st birthday in 2011. During the course of his remarkable journey, Rollins won five BMI Awards, including Jazz Artist of the Year, Tenor Saxophonist of the Year and Soprano Saxophone Musician of the Year, all in 2006. In 2012, BMI named him a Jazz Legend at the Jazz Journalists Association Awards.

Sonny Rollins' contributions to music cannot be overstated, and he will be tremendously miss by his friends, fans and family at BMI.