During the 1960s, a great debate among jazz aficionados was over who was the better saxophonist, John Coltrane or Sonny Rollins. A fool’s errand, really, as they had completely different approaches to music. Both were master technicians who could run the gamut, from aggressive to serene. Coltrane’s playing had a deeper spirituality, while Rollins was the more mischievous, always playing with a witty edge. And while ‘Trane’s group was probably more groundbreaking, Sonny deserves…

Very few jazz musicians have attained the same stature and respect as Sonny Rollins, and even fewer of his generation are still around to endow us with their knowledge and experience. Rollins’s resume reads like a “Who’s Who” of the modern jazz era. He cut his teeth as a teenager, recording with trombonist J.J. Johnson and Bud Powell, an archetype for jazz pianists. Rollins later had stints with the one and only Miles Davis, as…