“Are you for the whole or are you for yourself only?” says Terri Lyne Carrington. “There’s a balance because we live in a capitalist society.”
(Photo: Meredith Truax)Sep 15, 2026 1:32 PM
“Toni Morrison said that during these kinds of more critical times, ‘Artists go to work.’ So the one thing I do feel is that our work right now as artists is more important…
Sonny Rollins: a very conscientious blindfoldee.
(Photo: DownBeat Archive)Sep 1, 2026 12:29 PM
Editor’s Note: In tribute to the late Sonny Rollins, who passed away on May 25 at age 95, we present his first DownBeat Blindfold Test with Leonard Feather, creator of the column, from our Dec. 12, 1957, issue.
The significance lies in Sonny’s having been able, during the past year or two, to practice what he preaches. More than any other tenor player of the younger generation, he has succeeded in developing a sound and style that can be called original rather than derivative.
Sonny has been important in another area of jazz development.…
