Theodore Walter “Sonny“ Rollins (born 1930) is the Saxophone Colossus. Born and bred in New York City, Rollins started to play the tenor sax as a teenager.

Sonny Rollins

Honing his skills as part of Miles Davis’s bands in the early 1950s, Rollins started to write his own compositions, many of which became standards, including “Doxy” and “Oleo”, and “Calypso St. Thomas”, a tribute to his Caribbean heritage. With a unique sound that changes effortlessly from harsh and overpowering, to gentle and full of humour, Rollins has been a beacon of jazz’s constant evolution. Rollins has won multiple Grammys throughout his long career, and got inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame in 1981.