PARAMOUNT THEATER: Sonny Rollins
from Earshot Jazz: Born Theodore Walter Rollins, Sonny is one of the great tenor saxophonists of jazz history. This special performance at the Paramount Theatre marks Rollins’ first visit to Seattle in nearly 15 years, last performing at the sold-out Moore Theatre in 1996. As a teenager Rollins recorded with Bud Powell and J.J. Johnson, and later with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, before a two year engagement in Max Roach’s band. Two famous sabbaticals from public appearances (1959-61, 1968-71) have been the only breaks in a long and inspirational lifetime in jazz. Rollins’ Olympian efforts in the 1950s stands among the very finest jazz recordings in history, and he is one of the few surviving jazz giants from the era. Though Rollins has constantly renewed his approach towards the music, the individuality and power of his towering tenor improvisations has remained constant.
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Cornish Jazz Composers Ensemble
NEW ORLEANS: New Orleans Quintet
AMORE: Ronnie Pierce Jazz Ensemble
TOST: Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder