Some of you olde curmudgeons likely know who Sonny Rollins in, but most of you – likely not. Well here’s an interview in the NY Times where he discusses trading licks with John Coltrane and admitting he did so half heartedly coz Coltrane – at that time was an up and coming nobody. SO THERE. I’m sharing this because of the various spiritual insights and experiences that Rollins cites — kind of inspiring and frankly I wasn’t expecting so much of his discourse to lean towards mysticism. The online version is much longer than what appeared in print:
“I can hear music that elevates me, but on the other hand there’s martial music that’s made to make people go to war. So music is neutral. It has nothing to do with ethics. Music is not on the same level as trying to understand life. We’re here for 80-something years. One lifetime is not enough to get it right. I’ll be back in another body. I’m not interested in trying to get that technical about that because I don’t need to know. What I need to know is that being a person who understands that giving is better than getting is the proper way to live. Live your life now in a positive way. Help people if you can. Don’t hurt people. That works perfectly for me, man.”
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/02/24/magazine/sonny-rollins-interview.html.
