May 26, 2026 11:08 AM
Sonny Rollins Passes Away at 95
Sonny Rollins, the iconic saxophonist, composer and improviser whose career stretched from the origins of bebop to 21st…
My Point is ... is drummer Willie Jones III’s most recent long-playing album.
(Photo: Anna Yatskevich)A prime example of one such interstitial tributary was Jones’ tenure with Cedar Walton, who worked steadily with Higgins from the early ’70s until shortly before Higgins’ death in 2001. “Higgins would bring Cedar to his workshop,” Jones said. “Cedar taught us his songs, and listened to us play, critiqued us. I didn’t get close to him then, though once he called me for a couple of gigs. I knew his book the first time I played with him. After I moved to New York, he’d call me as a sub, and in 2008 I started playing with him all the time. Playing through Cedar’s songbook and his arrangements took my playing to an even more musical level.”
Having cultivated WJ3 to the point where it is self-sustaining, Jones plans to remain on the DIY pathway that Higgins advocated so assiduously. “It’s a self-investment,” Jones said. “I’m not making a profit, but I’m not losing any money. I’ve become more proficient at putting out each project. If a major label came along and said, “Not only will we put your project out, but we’ll send you on the road for a tour” or something like that—which we know isn’t going to happen ... . But under those circumstances, I would jump at the opportunity.”
Onstage, Rollins would move about restlessly, thrusting his tenor sax in the air as he blew.
May 26, 2026 11:08 AM
Sonny Rollins, the iconic saxophonist, composer and improviser whose career stretched from the origins of bebop to 21st…
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