In the April 2006 Issue of Hudson Valley Magazine, there is an article about one of the world’s greatest living jazz artists = tenor saxophonist/composer Sonny Rollins. Rollins is interviewed for this magazine because he is a resident of Columbia County, here in Upstate New York. In the words of the interviewer, Thomas Staudter, “man and instrument are one”.To be a great jazz improviser, one has to overcome the challenges of the left brain = technique, scales, the harmonic structure of music = and move fluently into the right brain aspect of spontaneous flow. This requires a shift in consciousness. Some are able to make the shift, others never do. That is not to say that they are not capable; they just have not practiced enough, exposed themselves enough, mentored with a teacher enough, played out enough, etc., to make the necessary shift from left brain playing to right brain playing.

If you ask Kenny Werner, composer, pianist and educator, and author of Effortless Mastery (look for an upcoming blog post dedicated just to him and his book), some people have just not been mentally and emotionally kind enough to themselves to be able to make the shift. They are too busy berating themselves for what they are not doing, instead of relaxing into “the space” and allowing whatever wants to come out through them to be expressed.

Sonny Rollins has been channeling jazz for decades, celebrating his 75th birthday last September. In the magazine article, Rollins discusses the fact that for him, music is not only to express joy, but it’s also “an important social force.” He also has his own spiritual interests, and believes in “having some values outside of materialism.”

At the International Association of Jazz Education (IAJE) conference in Manhattan in January, Rollins “sat outside a ballroom post-interview and signed hundreds of autographs, taking a moment to greet each well-wisher”. He apparently shares “similiar displays of his generous spirit after each of his concerts”.

“It’s connecting with his audiences that keeps the artist at the top of his game. ‘I want people to leave my concerts with a positive feeling so they’ll feel hopeful and optimistic about everything,’ Rollins remarks. ‘That’s my ultimate aim, that’s why I play.’”

God bless you, Sonny Rollins. That’s why I write and play, too.