# Sonny Rollins 'Legendary' or 'Great' Quartet circa 1970s **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [July 31, 2022, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonny-rollins-legendary-or-great-quartet-circa-1970s/968864 "2022-07-31T11:03:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2022, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonny-rollins-legendary-or-great-quartet-circa-1970s/968864/1 "2022-07-31T11:03:35Z")
**Sonny Rollins** is one of my favourite jazz artists, perhaps my favourite saxophonist. Over the years, I’ve slowly explored his discography and regularly discovered fascinating collaborations with musicians I didn’t expect. This, by the way, is one of the things I enjoy the most in jazz : realizing that two musicians I like worked together at one point. “Wow, I didn’t know that X and Y had recorded an album together ! I need to listen to this now !” This how I came across references to Sonny’s ‘Legendary’ or ‘Great’ Quartet. Now, I know he worked with some of the greatest jazzmen of his time but I have no idea who was part of that quartet. I remember it being from the late 70s, which excludes his way earlier work with **Miles Davis** , **Thelonious Monk** , **Clifford Brown** , **Max Roach** or the **Modern Jazz Quartet**. I know he worked with **Tony Williams** around that time and **Herbie Hancock** a bit earlier, both **Davis** alumni. Could this mystery quartet be related to these collaborations ? Or did I dream this up ? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2022, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonny-rollins-legendary-or-great-quartet-circa-1970s/968864/2 "2022-07-31T12:04:03Z")
The [Milestone Jazzstars?](https://www.allmusic.com/album/milestone-jazzstars-in-concert-mw0000201084) ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2022, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonny-rollins-legendary-or-great-quartet-circa-1970s/968864/3 "2022-07-31T12:21:55Z")
This could very well be what I was looking for, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2022, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonny-rollins-legendary-or-great-quartet-circa-1970s/968864/4 "2022-07-31T23:37:37Z")
…tenor saxophonist [Sonny Rollins](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sonny-rollins-mn0000039656), pianist [McCoy Tyner](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mccoy-tyner-mn0000868092), and bassist [Ron Carter](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ron-carter-mn0000275832)) in a quartet with drummer [Al Foster](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/al-foster-mn0000604137)… Sweet. I love Sonny (the great one of his generation who is still with us - he is, right?), but haven’t heard his music from the mid- to late-70s. I got to see Tyner at the tiny Jazz Showcase in Chicago (when it was off the lobby of the Blackstone Hotel). 1989. /vaguely related reminiscence ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonny-rollins-legendary-or-great-quartet-circa-1970s/968864/5 "2022-08-01T00:21:25Z")
I saw Sonny Rollins at Montreux in 1974 with Rufus Harley and suffice to say, that group was neither great nor legendary. Unless you go in for jazz bagpipes. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sonny-rollins-legendary-or-great-quartet-circa-1970s/968864/6 "2022-08-01T10:43:56Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > haven’t heard his music from the mid- to late-70s. Well, other than the solo on the Rolling Stones’ song “Waiting on a Friend” (!). (This was released in 1981, but recorded in bits and pieces starting around 1974!).