Sonny Rollins Quotes

Here, we’ve compiled a list of the best Sonny Rollins Quotes. The wide variety of quotes available makes it possible to find a quote to suit your needs. You’ve likely heard some of the Sonny Rollins Quotes before, but that’s because they truly are great.

1

Even the most jingoistic person would have to admit tha

Even the most jingoistic person would have to admit that even American cultural music comes from Europe. That’s what classical music is, real European music.

Sonny Rollins

2

I enjoy playing clubs. I still enjoy the closeness of the nightclub venue. However, after a certain period of time and after playing around some of the clubs in New YorkI felt that jazz should be presented in a more prestigious atmosphere.

Sonny Rollins

3

I think the problem starts with the general appreciation of the music in the larger society.

Sonny Rollins

4

It’s all about creation and surprise. It just needs to be appreciated and watered like flowers. You have to water flowers. These peaks will come again.

Sonny Rollins

5

I don’t want to appear hostile, like I’m hostile to L.A. or that I feel that the people don’t appreciate jazz. I don’t think it’s that. I think it’s something more. It’s something a little bit more complicated than that.

Sonny Rollins

6

There was a period which I refer to as the ‘Golden Age of Jazz,’ which sort of encompasses the middle Thirties through the Sixties, we had a lot of great innovators, all creating things which will last the world for a long, long time.

Sonny Rollins

7

What I can say is that for may years jazz musicians had to go to Europe, for instance, to be respected and to be sort of treated not in a discriminatory way. I don’t think there is anything controversial about me saying that. This is just a fact.

Sonny Rollins

8

I think what we need is a more welcoming mode from the people who put on a hundred million country-western shows on television. How about a monthly jazz show?

Sonny Rollins

9

I think we are in the midst of this period where we are committing this suicide on the planet and everybody is just using up all of our natural resources like a bunch of insane people. That’s what I worry about more than I worry about jazz.

Sonny Rollins

10

I am a person who thinks about the music first in trying to achieve something musically valid.

Sonny Rollins

11

I think as long as people are around and can hear a record and hear people like Lester Young on a recording, there will always be a great inspiration for somebody to try to create jazz.

Sonny Rollins

12

Jazz has an audience all around the globe and has had for many decades, I think speaking of the United States, let’s say that what we need is more of an official recognition.

Sonny Rollins

13

You had many jazz musicians who lived in the United States, who had a hard time being accepted over here and had to play in sort of these inferior type dives.

Sonny Rollins

14

I feel that L.A. has not always been my strongest base for support. That can be for various reasons.

Sonny Rollins

15

My mother came from St. Thomas. I heard that melody and all I did was actually adapt it. I made my adaptation of sort of an island traditional melody. It did become sort of my trademark tune.

Sonny Rollins