Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins | |
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Rollins in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Walter Theodore Rollins |
| Born | September 7, 1930 New York City, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1947–2014 |
| Labels | |
| Website | sonnyrollins |
Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American retired jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians.
In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded over sixty albums as a leader. A number of his compositions, including "St. Thomas", "Oleo", "Doxy", and "Airegin", have become jazz standards. Rollins has been called "the greatest living improviser". Due to health problems, Rollins has not performed publicly since 2012 and announced his retirement in 2014.