Wed 1/21 @ 7:30PM
The great jazz saxophone player Sonnie Rollins is retired now — and no wonder. He’s 95 years old! But in his seven-decade career he influenced countless musicians and composed numerous pieces that became standards in the jazz repertoire. And his music lives on, thanks to an ensemble right here in Northeast Ohio which was founded with his support and an endowment he created. And he chose Oberlin College because of its long history of inclusion and social justice activism.
The Oberlin Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble, directed by Oberlin professor Bobby Ferrazza, performs both distinctive arrangements of Rollins’ classic compositions and new original works that carry on Rollins’ style, spirit and mission ofusing music to uplift humanity. And boy, could we use more of that now. The eight-musician ensemble includes saxophone players David Serpan and Luka Ison, trombonist Eric Collins, pianist Ricky Taylor, bassist Nicholas Doan, guitarist Jacob Seashore, drummer Max Simas and vocalist LaRaya Hudson. They’ll be performing at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Go here for tickets.
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