Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins by Aidan Levy

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"Precise and ravishing descriptions of Rollins' music, 'tireless work ethic,' inspirations, frustrations with the record industry, social and environmental activism, and surprising collaborations." 

—Booklist, starred review

"Meticulously researched... (The] definitive account of a jazz icon." 

—Krkus

"An incredibly deep, well-researched and thoughtfully written biography." —DownBeat

"Aidan Levy's indefatigable research and interviewing process has allowed him to fill Saxophone Colossus with a vast chorus of voices." 

—The Wire

"Sonny Rollins told stories through his horn.  His 'telling,' no matter how intricate or elaborate, was always pure, honest, and vulnerable, while the storyteller himself remained elusive and intangible.  Until now.  In Aidan Levy, Mr. Rollins has found his chronicler, an immensely talented writer whose lyricism, mastery, and dedication to truth matches that of his subject. The result is an opera, a calypso, a magnificent symphony that captures All of Him: Sonny, Newk, Theodore, Wally, Brung Biji, and the one

and only Saxophone Colossus." 

—Robin D. G. Kelley, Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original

"Sonny Rollins is the most acclaimed and celebrated jazz musician alive. His fearless creativity and willingness to test his limits are the stuff of legends, as are his modesty, discipline and self-criticism. With deep research and meticulous documentation, Levy, with the aid of Rollins, gives us a revelatory and richer picture of the man and his era. A colossus of a book."

—John Szwed, author of Space Is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra and So What: The Life of Miles Davis

"In this forensically researched biography of an American hero, the elusive Sonny Rollins stands revealed not only as the great Jazz Maker but a man of profundity and passions. By combining the story of his rise as a Saxophone Colossus with a picture of the Black artist in an age when social progress was not necessarily a given, Levy has produced a memorable book." 

— Val Wilmer, author of As Serious As Your Life: Black Music and the Free Jazz Revolution, 1957-1977

"Aidan Levy has provided the jazz world and beyond an important documentation of one of the greatest musicians of all time. Sonny Rollins spoke his own language through the saxophone—just check out his solo on

'Alfie’! And Saxophone Colossus provides for us in words a portal to deeper understanding of this legendary jazz giant!" 

- Terri Lyne Carrington, Grammy-winning drummer, producer, and composer

It’s almost impossible to overstate the importance of Aidan Levy’s Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins [New York: Hachette Books, 2022] to the body of Jazz Literature that focuses on the music and its makers, especially in the second half of the 20th century.

The scope and depth of Levy’s work are impressive as every facet of Sonny’s career is examined and well-documented.

As stated in the media release accompanying the book: “His colossal seven-decade career has been well-documented, but the backstage life of the man once called “the only Jazz recluse” has gone largely untold - until now.”

But whether it the familiar milestones of Sonny’s career in terms of the iconic recordings and his significant associations with Jazz luminaries, or his involvement in the civil rights movement, all of which are fully described and discussed, what is especially appealing to the reader is getting to know Sonny Rollins, the man, as well as, the musician.

Context and character unfold in such a way as to bring the human dimensions of Rollins as a performing Jazz artist into clearer focus. The hyperbole, myth and hagiography usually associated with him are pushed aside and what made up the special genius that is Sonny Rollins is revealed.

Here’s more from the media release that accompanied the book.

The long-awaited first full biography of legendary jazz saxophonist and composer Sonny Rollins, chronicling the gripping story of a freedom fighter and spiritual seeker whose life has been as much of a thematic improvisation as his music.

Known as the "Saxophone Colossus," Sonny Rollins is widely considered the greatest living jazz improviser, having won Grammys, the Austrian Cross of Honor, Sweden's Polar Music Prize and a National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama. He is one of our last links to the golden age of jazz — one of only two remaining musicians pictured in the iconic "Great Day in Harlem" portrait. His colossal seven-decade career has been well documented, but the backstage life of the man once called "the only jazz recluse" has gone largely untold — until now.

Based on more than 200 interviews with Rollins himself, family members, friends, and collaborators, as well as Rollins' extensive personal archive, SAXOPHONE COLOSSUS: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins (Hachette Books; 12/6/22; S.35; ISBN: 9780306902796) is the comprehensive portrait of this living legend, tireless civil rights activist and environmentalist. 

A child of the Harlem Renaissance, Rollins' precocious talent quickly landed him on the bandstand and in the recording studio with Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Diz/y Gillespie, or playing opposite Billie Holiday. He became an icon in his own right, recording fifteen albums as a leader in a staggering three-year span, including Tenor Madness, featuring John Coltrane; Way Out West, which established the pianoless trio; Freedom Suite, the first civil rights-themed album of the hard bop era; A Night at the Village Vanguard, which put the storied jazz venue on the map; and the 1956 classic Saxophone Colossus. With access to unreleased outtakes and hundreds of live tapes dating back to 1950, biographer Aldan Levy takes us into the studio and backstage at pivotal moments throughout jazz history.

In SAXOPHONE COLOSSUS, readers will discover:

•      Interviews with Rollins himself as well as family, friends, and collaborators

•      Rollins' relationships with a veritable who's who of jazz, including Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, Clifford Brown, Max Roach, Betty Carter, and Dizzy Gillespie

•      The making of iconic albums such as Tenor Madness, Freedom Suite, Saxophone Colossus, among others

•      Rollins' harrowing ordeal in the criminal justice system and how he beat his addiction

•      How he used jazz to advance the civil rights movement and promote environmental consciousness

And much, much more...

Aidan Levy is the author of Dirty Blvd: The Life and Music of Lou Reed and editor of Patti Smith on Patti Smith: Interviews and Encounters. A former Leon Levy Center for Biography Fellow, his writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, JazzTimes, The Nation and other publications.

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