Open Sky: Sonny Rollins and His World of Improvisation

by Eric Nisenson

Now in The first-ever biography of one of the legends of modern jazz, written with his full cooperation. Sonny Rollins is one of jazz's great innovators, arguably the most influential tenor saxophonist, along with John Coltrane, in the history of modern jazz. He began his musical career at the age of eleven, and within five short years he was playing with the legendary Thelonious Monk. In the late forties, before his twenty-first birthday, Rollins was in full swing, recording with jazz luminaries such as Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Max Roach, Art Blakey, and Miles Davis, and he was hailed as the best jazz tenor man alive in the mid-fifties. Still active today, Rollins and his compelling sound reach a whole new generation of listeners with his eagerly anticipated live appearances. Now renowned jazz writer Eric Nisenson provides a long-overdue look at one of jazz's brightest, and most enduring, stars.

Genres: Music, Jazz

216 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about a great musician and one of my heroes. A candid look at an excellent jazz musician.

[Geoff Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tracks the development of a jazz legend as musician and man, often using his own words and those of people close to him to tell the story. Fascinating glimpse at genius and all that accompanies it.

[Matthew Baube · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nisenson is a good writer but this book is dying for more source material.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers a lot in short amount of pages. Definitely broaden my understanding of Sonny Rollins.

[Jacob Bakker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an enjoyable read, for music lovers as well as anyone wanting to read an interesting, compelling biography. I picked the book up because of the subject matter; I didn’t know anything about Sonny Rollins before reading it, but I love jazz music so it grabbed my attention. The author tells Rollins’ story in a way that is interesting and easy for anyone to follow, whether or not they know much about music. I like the way the book is organized and formatted so that the reader can easily follow the point of view at any given point (whether it’s Rollins, the author, etc.)

I appreciate how Nisenson incorporates stories from different times in Rollins’ life. And because they’re told in Rollins’ words, it makes it more real, you know it’s not the author’s interpretation. You feel like you know Rollins better, almost like you just had a conversation with him. This book isn’t an exciting page-turner like some thrilling biographies out there. It’s a good comfortable read about a guy who just wanted to keep doing what he was doing, what he was meant to do, even if it wasn’t the best way to develop a profitable career. He comes across as a cool guy you’d like go hang out and jam with.