Tenor Saxophonist, Sonny Rollins is a true musician, a man who walked away from rising fame to practice alone atop an isolated bridge rather that let his legend grow faster than his creativity. Rollins started as a piano player before being given his first saxophone at age 13. That first saxophone was an alto, a nod to saxophonist Louis Jordon. Rollins would switch over to tenor at the age of 16, inspired by his idol Coleman Hawkins. By the time he was 20, Rollins was playing with the legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. Other notable musicians that Sonny had played and recorded with by then include Miles Davis, J.J. Johnson, Babs Gonzales and Bud Powell.

Between 1956 and 1958 Rollins released a string of recordings that would earn him a reputation as one of the most talented and innovative saxophonists in the jazz world. The first track on the 1956 album Sonny Rollins Plus Four, Valse Hot, was one of the first jazz songs to play bop in 3/4 time. His widely acclaimed album ‘Saxophone Colossus’ exposed fans to Rollins’ first foray into calypso inspired playing on his arrangement of the traditional song St. Thomas. In 1957, after a string of problems with incompatible pianists, Rollins released the album Way Out West, which featured Rollins’ saxophone stylings backed only by a drummer and bassist.