The Saxophone Colossus Honored

"Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" is my first awarness of Master Sonny Rollins. Who among any jazz head didn't try to get their Frank Sinatra on to "Mack the Knife"?

To date, Master Rollins is one of my most favorite saxophone players. It's been noted previously that along with him, Joe Henderson and John Coltrane are the Triumvirate of Saxing.

This year the Kennedy Center Honors added to their circle the brilliance that is Sonny Rollins.

In my opinion, Rollins' most important contribution to the jazz world is his commitment to the beauty that is jazz improvisation. To hear him solo is to hear the foundations and the future of what jazz is and what it can be. At 81 years old, everytime I hear him play, it never sounds like the last time I heard him play. I'm not referring to his sound, I'm referring to his desire to reach for new spaces in music. Name one other jazz musician who would approach a country western folk standard and turn it into a jazz standard.

Congrats to Master Sonny Rollins for this well deserved honor!

Robert Glasper - Canvas

The first time I heard of Robert Glasper was just after I got back to Dallas from President Obama’s inauguration. I think I had just thawed out. I came across a tune on NPR dedicated to the President called Enoch’s (Inaugural) Meditation; originally penned as Enoch’s Meditation from his 2005 album titled CANVAS(Blue Note, 2005). The tune was originally a concept tribute to drummer Enoch Jamal Strickland but the redux is a tribute to the election of President Barack Obama replete with speech excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King, Dr. Cornel West as well as the newly inaugurated President of the United States. I once heard stories about the on the spot improvisation skills of Charlie Parker. For instance, while on the bandstand soloing, a sailor would walk in and Bird would begin adding elements of “Anchors Away” into his solos. I mention this because if you listen closely to Glasper’s solo work on this piece during President Obama’s speech excerpt, you will hear elements of “Hail to the Chief”.

Glasper left my radar shortly after I consumed this record. A couple of years later, I heard his name called as a tour keyboardist for Maxwell and I began a mission to seek out his recordings. Along with recording dates with likes of Terence Blanchard and Robert Hurst, I was surprised and intrigued to know that he has played on several familiar hip hop records with Q-Tip and Bilal. I was also shocked to find out his debut as a band leader was in 2004. How did I miss him?

Glasper’s sophomore offering CANVAS has been on constant rotation lately, more specifically the title track. Canvas is one of those tunes that remind me of elegant cigar rooms filled with beautiful people, full-bodied smells of smoke, glasses of scotch and swagger. He plays the full range of the harmony in his accompaniment and improve…I call it “ten finger chord playing”. The fullness of sound is audibly satisfying.

I have attempted to consume Glasper’s other offerings: IN MY ELEMENT (Blue Note 2007) and DOUBLE BOOKED (Blue Note 2009), but I keep coming back to Canvas. I think it just fits my sensibilities for the time being.
Glasper does some Fendor Rhodes work on this record and also uses Bilal for just that extra touch of sweet soulfulness.

This album is worth your time…and the song is worth 10 minutes of your day…every day.



Canvas Personnel:
•Robert Glasper – piano
•Vicente Archer – bass
•Damion Reid – drums
•Mark Turner – tenor saxophone
•Bilal – vocals