Sonny Rollins Without A Song (The 9/11 Concert) CD

Personnel: Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); Sonny Rollins; Clifton Anderson (trombone); Stephen Scott (piano, kalimba); Bob Cranshaw (electric bass, bass guitar); Perry Wilson (drums); Kimati Dinizulu (percussion).
Audio Remixer: Richard Corsello.
Liner Note Author: Bob Blumenthal.
Recording information: Berklee Performance Center, Boston, MA (09/15/2001).
Editor: Richard Corsello.
Photographers: Ken Franckling; John Abbott .
When the disasters on 9/11 occurred, the great tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins was in his New York apartment, only blocks away from the World Trade Center. He survived a night without electricity and was of course deeply affected by the catastrophe. At the urging of his wife and manager, Lucille, he fulfilled an engagement to play in Boston four days later, and the concert recording was released four years later. Rollins is quite emotional in his playing and can be heard throughout in peak creative form. While many of his detractors feel that his studio recordings since the 1970s have not had the excitement of his live concerts, they should find much to enjoy on this passionate if not flawless set; the trombonist stumbles a bit on "Global Warming." Rollins, performing with his usual sextet (which includes his nephew Clifton Anderson on trombone, pianist Stephen Scott, and his longtime electric bassist Bob Cranshaw) stretches out on four standards and his calypso "Global Warming," really digging into the melodies. His playing sounds a bit like a purging of bad memories, while at the same time seeming hopeful about the future. The result is arguably Sonny Rollins' best recording of the past decade, and is a highly recommended set. ~ Scott Yanow
Recorded on September 15th, 2001, WITHOUT A SONG is a live recording by jazz icon Sonny Rollins, observing the World Trade Center disaster that occurred just four days prior to the concert. Rollins was one of the few musicians from jazz's golden age still performing with a sense of vitality, and that is especially clear on this recording, which is imbued with the gravity appropriate to the aforementioned tragedy.
Yet the proceedings are never overwhelmed by pathos or grief. Instead, Rollins and his five-piece ensemble offer spirited takes on the standards "Where or When" and "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," and Rollins's own Latin-inflected "Global Warming." The wit, range, and dexterity that made the saxophonist's name are in evidence throughout, making WITHOUT A SONG a fine showcase for his talents and a testament to the uplifting power of music in the face of dark times.Down Beat (p.68) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[H]e demonstrates that he can play as freely as any contemporary improviser, scattering abstract phrases and probing down numerous musical alleyways."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.118) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[A]s this live recording vividly demonstrates, his innate sense of melodic and rhythmic fluency hasn't deserted him in his twilight years."