“He was such a beautiful guy,” George Garzone says of the late tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker. He pays tribute to Brecker on his new recording, Themes For Good Friends.
(Photo: Michael Jackson)Oct 13, 2026 11:50 AM
Mighty Italian-American tenori di forza are a thing. Tenor saxophonists, that is. Sal Nistico, Sam Butera, Don Menza, Frank Tiberi, Jerry Bergonzi, Ralph Lalama, Marco Pignataro,…
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.…
