SUNY Fredonia Jazz Flextet, a great example of working together.
(Photo: Lordi Deemer)Sep 17, 2026 12:19 PM
The question often comes up for those of us in the music business. A parent has a child immersed in jazz, or music in general, and they find out that we work in this world of…
Sonny Rollins: a very conscientious blindfoldee.
(Photo: DownBeat Archive)Sep 1, 2026 12:29 PM
Editor’s Note: In tribute to the late Sonny Rollins, who passed away on May 25 at age 95, we present his first DownBeat Blindfold Test with Leonard Feather, creator of the column, from our Dec. 12, 1957, issue.
The significance lies in Sonny’s having been able, during the past year or two, to practice what he preaches. More than any other tenor player of the younger generation, he has succeeded in developing a sound and style that can be called original rather than derivative.
Sonny has been important in another area of jazz development.…
