The world cultural and musical circles have bid farewell to one of its most prominent historical icons, the passing of the highly influential American jazz musician Sonny Rollins, known as the "Saxophone Colossus", at the age of 95.
The legendary tenor saxophonist died last night at his home in Woodstock, New York, according to an official statement from his media agent, Terry Hunt, who described him as "one of the most revered and influential figures in American music of the 20th century and beyond."
Although the cause of death has not been officially announced, Rollins had suffered in his final years from pulmonary fibrosis and severe respiratory problems that forced him to retire from touring in 2012.
The announcement of his departure was accompanied by a spiritual quote from 2009 in which he said: "I believe that when a creative person ends his life here, he continues to exist in the next life. I am someone who believes that this life is not everything. The spiritual man does not feel that everything ends here."
In the Harlem neighborhood the beginnings were
Theodore Walter Rollins was born in New York's old Harlem neighborhood on September 7, 1930, and grew up in a fertile cultural environment that later made him one of the last surviving stars of the revolutionary "bebop" era.
Rollins was widely known for his mastery of improvisation on the saxophone, and his unique ability to constantly experiment and challenge ready-made molds.
Over the course of a six-decade career in the music industry, Rollins has juggled and worked alongside major jazz giants, including Miles Davis, Daisy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, and Art Blakey.
During his illustrious career, he released more than 60 albums as a bandleader, including his iconic 1957 Saxophone Colossus and 1962's The Bridge, which today enrich world music classics, as well as masterpieces such as "Way Out West" (1957), "A Night at the Village Vanguard" (1958) and "Freedom Suite" (1958). In recognition of this legacy, the 2017 album "Saxophone Colossus" was included in the National Register of Records of the U.S. Library of Congress, which praised his solo playing as "powerful, graceful and humorous."
Continuous experimentation and transient work of musical genres
Rollins viewed his artistic experience with constant humility, describing himself as a "work in progress," refusing to settle for a single expressive style.
This passion led him to expand the horizons of his musical sound by incorporating funk and R&B influences into his tracks.
His influence was not limited to jazz clubs, but also extended to cinema, where he composed the soundtrack for the famous British film "Alfie" in 1966 starring Michael Caine.
He also made his name in the memory of rock fans with his 1981 contribution to the album "Tattoo You" by the international band "The Rolling Stones", where his saxophone blasted with a mesmerizing solo on the hit ballad song "Waiting on a Friend".
Grammy Awards and Presidential Honors
Sonny Rollins has earned accolades and accolades during his long journey, with his 2001 album "This is What I Do" winning the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.
In 2006, he was again crowned with a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Solo Performance for "Why Was I Born?" , taken from the album "Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert", a live recording of a concert held in Boston just four days after the 9/11 attacks, after he was evicted from his apartment near Ground Zero, where he insisted on holding the concert at the request of his wife and the late business manager Lucille (died in 2004).
In 2010, Rollins was awarded the National Medal of Arts by former U.S. President Barack Obama, followed by the prestigious Kennedy Center in 2011.
President Obama expressed the depth of the artist's influence, saying that Rollins and his music had personally inspired him "to take the risk of taking steps and decisions that he might not have dared to take if he hadn't listened to those free-spirited melodies," leaving behind an irreplaceable furrow in the wall of human music.