Alex, I am very glad you like "The Bridge"; personally, I think it's a brilliant record that belongs (and is) in many "best ever" lists. You know, although the brilliance of Sonny as an improviser is heard in just about everything he did and does (!), I agree with you that there are some aesthetic issues in his playing. You mention "tone". It's interesting because while his tone is not "hard" and edgy the way that, say, Coltrane's was, and was rather dark and not bright like Coltrane's, one of the very distinctive but idiosyncratic characteristics in Rollins' playing is a very "hard" way of articulating notes and phrases; the way the player attacks the notes with the tongue. Also, and I think this goes to one of the most interesting and beautiful things about players and their music, it's almost impossible to separate tone from attitude. You are exactly right, his tone sounds hard because his musical attitude is hard. Interestingly, while Coltrane's tone is actually "harder" still (in technical terms) his attitude is gentler because of the deep sense of spirituality in his playing; and, what to me, is a sense of humbleness. I hear neither of those things in Rollins' playing. Still, Rollins is one of the great improvisers. He has a very forceful way with rhythm. To me, while many players seem to play with or TO the rhythm section's pulse, with Sonny it is almost as if the rhythm section is playing to HIS rhythmic impetus; a very commanding player (no humbleness).
Thanks for the clips. I don't think there is any "bad" Sonny Rollins record, but I must say that I don't particularly like just about all that he did from the 1970 onward. I have every record that Sonny recorded as a leader and those two are, unfortunately, not two of my favorites; I have a strong suspicion that they are not your favorites either. Ironically, and in spite of his brilliance, I don't think that his experiments with quasi-fusion and more contemporary "sounds" are his best efforts. No reflection on the style of music itself, just not his "comfort zone", imo. Two other favorites if you haven't heard them:
Probably on even more "Best of Rollins" lists than even "The Bridge" (still my favorite):
https://m.youtube.com/results?q=somny%20saxophone%20colossus&sm=3
And this one, which I think was strangely overlooked in our earlier look at Jazz soundtracks, with arrangements by the great Oliver Nelson:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooizs5p8ZuY
Thanks for the clips. I don't think there is any "bad" Sonny Rollins record, but I must say that I don't particularly like just about all that he did from the 1970 onward. I have every record that Sonny recorded as a leader and those two are, unfortunately, not two of my favorites; I have a strong suspicion that they are not your favorites either. Ironically, and in spite of his brilliance, I don't think that his experiments with quasi-fusion and more contemporary "sounds" are his best efforts. No reflection on the style of music itself, just not his "comfort zone", imo. Two other favorites if you haven't heard them:
Probably on even more "Best of Rollins" lists than even "The Bridge" (still my favorite):
https://m.youtube.com/results?q=somny%20saxophone%20colossus&sm=3
And this one, which I think was strangely overlooked in our earlier look at Jazz soundtracks, with arrangements by the great Oliver Nelson:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooizs5p8ZuY