Improvisation is the ability to create something very spiritual, something of one's own. — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
Many jazz artists go to L.A. seeking a more comfortable life and then they really stop playing. — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
Music represents nature. Nature represents life. Jazz represents nature. Jazz is life. — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
I feel that Jazz improvisation is the ultimate. You have to create on the spot, the essence of this music. — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
I'm fortunate that I'm making a living at it now because I'm not equipped to do anything else. — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
I feel that I have an obligation to jazz and also to myself to play as good as I can play. — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
Jazz is the type of music that can absorb so many things and still be jazz. — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
I simply want to reach a level where I will never cease to make progress...so that, even on the bad evenings, I… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
Jazz has an audience all around the globe and has had for many decades, I think speaking of the United States, let's… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
What I can say is that for may years jazz musicians had to go to Europe, for instance, to be respected and… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
I have always been a person who is concerned with the dignity of jazz music and the way jazz musicians have been… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
You had many jazz musicians who lived in the United States, who had a hard time being accepted over here and had… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
I have seen great jazz musicians die obscure and drinking themselves to death and not really being able to get any work… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
I think what we need is a more welcoming mode from the people who put on a hundred million country-western shows on… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
I think as long as people are around and can hear a record and hear people like Lester Young on a recording,… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
There was a period which I refer to as the 'Golden Age of Jazz,' which sort of encompasses the middle Thirties through… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
Jazz is an endless source of ideas, because you can use anything. You can play operatic arias. You can incorporate them into… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
One very important thing I learned from Monk was his complete dedication to music. That was his reason for being alive. Nothing… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
I've played with all of the heavyweights in the modern jazz, progressive jazz movement. I've been fortunate enough to play with them,… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
I don't want to appear hostile, like I'm hostile to L.A. or that I feel that the people don't appreciate jazz. I… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
I enjoy playing clubs. I still enjoy the closeness of the nightclub venue. However, after a certain period of time and after… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
The thing is this: When I play, what I try to do is to reach my subconscious level. I don't want to… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
I'm not supposed to be playing, the music is supposed to be playing me. I'm just supposed to be standing there with… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
I think we are in the midst of this period where we are committing this suicide on the planet and everybody is… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
Europeans really provided many venues over there and hailed the jazz artists, and a lot of musicians went over there and stayed… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share Image
I'm fortunate that I'm making a living at it now because I'm not equipped to do anything else. — Sonny Rollins Copy Share
How ironic that the Negro, who more than any other people can claim America's culture as his own, is being persecuted and repressed; that… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share
I enjoy playing clubs. I still enjoy the closeness of the nightclub venue. However, after a certain period of time and after playing around… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share
Music represents nature. Nature represents life. Jazz represents nature. Jazz is life. — Sonny Rollins Copy Share
Improvisation is the ability to create something very spiritual, something of one's own. — Sonny Rollins Copy Share
Even the most jingoistic person would have to admit that even American cultural music comes from Europe. That's what classical music is, real European… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share
...this is my dilemma. I'm a guy who makes things up as I go along, so nothing is ever finished - there are so… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share
Jazz is the type of music that can absorb so many things and still be jazz. — Sonny Rollins Copy Share
My mother came from St. Thomas. I heard that melody and all I did was actually adapt it. I made my adaptation of sort… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share
I feel that L.A. has not always been my strongest base for support. That can be for various reasons. — Sonny Rollins Copy Share
You had many jazz musicians who lived in the United States, who had a hard time being accepted over here and had to play… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share
I miss playing with Miles. I did play with him a little while before he left the planet, but even at that time I… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share
Improvisation is really not so much remembering things. And this is what I do when I play. I forget things. When I go on… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share
I simply want to reach a level where I will never cease to make progress...so that, even on the bad evenings, I may never… — Sonny Rollins Copy Share
