Sonny Rollins: Audio Interview with Ira Gitler & Music Students, 3 of 3

On April 26, 1994, jazz journalist and historian Ira Gitler interviewed Sonny Rollins before an audience of student and faculty musicians at the Manhattan School of Music. The recording of that event has never before been heard. We heard Part Two last time (see the Index). Today we’ll hear the last of three parts.

Ira’s son Fitz Gitler provides some background:

Sonny was always very warm to my father, and they kept in touch a bit over the years. Sonny called my Dad when he was ill late in life, and sent us a sweet note when he passed in 2019. Having him come speak at Manhattan was a pretty big deal. Dad was teaching a course on Sonny Rollins [as he mentioned in Part 1], but I'm not sure if this was the first time he'd taught it. (Dad's classes at the Manhattan School were always focussed, never a survey. I recall he taught a class on the trumpet, the tenor saxophone, and I believe one on Miles.) It was decided that the whole school would get the opportunity to hear the conversation, not just one jazz history classroom. I wonder who was in the audience that day?! I've heard Jason Moran talk about being there...

In this segment, Rollins continues to answer questions from the young musicians in the audience. First, there is a discussion of building a career in spite of racism. At 4:40, he is asked to talk more about Max Roach and Clifford Brown. He talks about singers at 7:45; Sonny Stitt is the topic at 11:30. At 14:40 he is asked to discuss the benefits of a music education. From about 17:00 he talks about Monk. And the last question, at 19:50, is about jazz and baseball. Listen, and Enjoy!:

All the best,
Lewis

P.S. Thanks for help with this post to bassist David Perrott, my former grad student and now a bass repair expert/luthier in the N.Y.C. area.

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