Canon
Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (September 7, 1930 – May 25, 2026) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded more than sixty albums as a leader. His 1956 album Saxophone Colossus was selected for preservation by the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2016. A number of his compositions, including "St.
album · 24
heatmap 3.26–3.95★| Rating | Year | Title | Plays | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk | ||||
| 1956 | Plus 4 | ||||
| 1956 | Tenor Madness | ||||
| 1956 | Work Time | ||||
| 1957 | Rollins Plays for Bird | ||||
| 1957 | Sonny Rollins | ||||
| 1957 | Sonny Rollins, Vol. 2 | ||||
| 1957 | The Sound of Sonny | ||||
| 1958 | Duets | ||||
| 1958 | Freedom Suite | ||||
| 1958 | Sonny Rollins and the Big Brass | ||||
| 1958 | Tour De Force | ||||
| 1959 | Newk's Time | ||||
| 1959 | Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders | ||||
| 1962 | What's New? | ||||
| 1963 | Sonny Meets Hawk! | ||||
| 1964 | Now's the Time! | ||||
| 1965 | Sonny Rollins on Impulse! | ||||
| 1965 | The Standard Sonny Rollins | ||||
| 1966 | Alfie | ||||
| 1967 | East Broadway Run Down | ||||
| 1972 | Next Album | ||||
| 1973 | Horn Culture | ||||
| Saxophone Colossus |
live album · 5
heatmap 3.44–3.99★| Rating | Year | Title | Plays | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | A Night at the Village Vanguard | ||||
| 1958 | The Modern Jazz Quartet at Music Inn Volume 2 | ||||
| 1963 | Our Man in Jazz | ||||
| 1974 | The Cutting Edge | ||||
| 1987 | G-Man |
ep · 5
heatmap 3.36–4.50★| Rating | Year | Title | Plays | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Sonny Rollins With Modern Jazz Quartet | ||||
| 1957 | Sonny Rollins Plus 4 | ||||
| 1958 | Work / Nutty | ||||
| 1959 | Sonny Side Up | ||||
| 1961 | Sonny Rollins et le Modern Jazz Quartet |
single · 13
heatmap 3.00–4.12★| Rating | Year | Title | Plays | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Mambo Bounce / This Love of Mine | ||||
| 1952 | Shadrack / With a Song in My Heart | ||||
| 1953 | In a Sentimental Mood / The Stopper | ||||
| 1956 | Decision, Part 1 / Decision, Part 2 | ||||
| 1957 | Cutie / Funky Hotel Blues | ||||
| 1957 | Plain Jane (Parts 1 & 2) | ||||
| 1957 | Solitude / Way Out West | ||||
| 1957 | St. Thomas (Parts One & Two) | ||||
| 1957 | Tenor Madness Vol. 2 | ||||
| 1960 | Mack the Knife / The Stopper | ||||
| 1962 | Brownskin Girl / If Ever I Would Leave You | ||||
| 1962 | Without a Song / You Do Something to Me | ||||
| 1966 | Alfie's Theme (Parts I & II) |
compilation · 4
heatmap 3.49–4.50★| Rating | Year | Title | Plays | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Moving Out | ||||
| 1956 | With The Modern Jazz Quartet | ||||
| 1957 | Thelonious Monk / Sonny Rollins | ||||
| 2024 | On Prestige |
video · 3
heatmap 3.50–4.24★| Rating | Year | Title | Plays | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | The Bridge | ||||
| 2008 | Live in '65 & '68 | ||||
| 2010 | Jazz Jamboree 1980 |
additional release · 2
heatmap 3.68–4.57★| Rating | Year | Title | Plays | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "The Alternative Rollins" | ||||
| 1986 | Contemporary Alternate Takes |
appears on · 8
heatmap 3.04–3.83★| Rating | Year | Title | Plays | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Miles Davis With Sonny Rollins | ||||
| 1954 | Thelonious Monk Quintet Blows for LP | ||||
| 1956 | Dig | ||||
| 1957 | Brilliant Corners | ||||
| 1957 | Monk | ||||
| 1989 | Working Girl | ||||
| 2006 | The Essential Herbie Hancock | ||||
| 2026 | 100 Miles: The Classic Sounds of Miles Davis & Friends |
bootleg / unauthorized · 3
heatmap 3.32–4.53★| Rating | Year | Title | Plays | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Post-War Jazz: An Arbitrary Road Map | ||||
| 2008 | Radio Radio: Theme Time Radio Hour Volume One | ||||
| Aix en provence 1959 |
Releases · 5
heatmap 3.31–3.64★v/a compilation · 5
heatmap 3.50–4.33★| Rating | Year | Title | Plays | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz | ||||
| 2000 | Ken Burns Jazz: The Story of America's Music | ||||
| 2006 | The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records | ||||
| 2025 | Top Jazz 2024 | ||||
| 2026 | What's It All About? Film & TV Music of Swinging London |
Top-rated songs · per RYM
| Rating | Title | Album | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas | 732 | |||
| Strode Rode | 679 | |||
| The Eternal Triangle | 279 | |||
| On the Sunny Side of the Street | 290 | |||
| The Bridge | 111 | |||
| You Don't Know What Love Is | 653 | |||
| Moritat | 647 | |||
| Misterioso | 99 | |||
| Why Don't I | 99 | |||
| Wail March | 97 | |||
| Blue Seven | 623 | |||
| After Hours | 261 | |||
| I Know That You Know | 259 | |||
| God Bless the Child | 117 | |||
| Without a Song | 106 |