YOU HAVE A NEW CD: DO YOU EVER LISTEN TO YOUR OLD RECORDINGS?
No! No! I don’t like listening to myself, so I do as little of it as possible. There were (concert) cuts that a private collector had, and he made them available to me to do whatever I wanted to do with. Then I record my own concerts, so I have stuff that I’ve built up from my own archives. And, I try to remember back which shows that I thought were real good concerts, so I went at it like that, so I wouldn’t have to listen to an inordinate amount of material. I had help from my producer and nephew Clifton Anderson. I let him listen to some things first, to see if it was worthwhile to send to me.
I don’t like listening to myself, so I just listened to enough that I picked these songs out to be representative of VolumeI. I’ve got a whole gang of stuff in the archives.
DO YOU EVER TELL THE AUDIENCE “I’M ON/OFF TONIGHT
No, because, as a professional, there’s something I’ve learned over the years ; I didn’t I didn’t always have this wisdom. I used to let conditions affect me the way I approach the audience, and stuff like that. But that’s immaturity. I’ve learned now that you always have to put on the best official show that you can. You’re not going to be 150% every night; you’re going to be 50% every night. You’ve got to accept that, and put on your best effort. And that’s it. You do your best, and there will be things that people hear sometimes that they like. Of course, if it were left up to myself, a very harsh critic, I would reject a lot of things. Fortunately, it’s not up to me, but I do the best show that I can, and hope that my professional experience will come out on top, and the audience will appreciate it. You’ve got to get to that middle ground where you always do at least an acceptable job, and sometimes it’s going to be greater than others. That’s why you practice.
I only do about 2 hours a day of practice. I used to practice SO long, but now, with age and everything, 2 hours is my median time. I do long tones and other rudimentary things. You must practice and be conscientious about your work. There’s a lot of elements that go into the sound. But the one thing that I know very well that there is a spiritual element that is always at work, and you want to keep true to that. So, whatever happens on the outside, we always have that work from a spiritual center. (Keep your eye on the prize.(If you just concentrate on the music, you’ll go nuts) Music is just one of the expressions of the creation. It’s wonderful, and we have to be thankful for it, but it’s only one of the expressions to our Creator.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST FEEL, “HEY, I’VE MADE IT ON THE RIGHT PATH”?
I remember a long time ago, when I was playing with Miles, back in New York. Many many years ago. I remember I played something. I mean, I knew I had talent, but when I played this time, Miles sort of looked at me in a way. One thing about Miles, he was very straightforward when it came to music. There were other things about his life that were not always what people might agree with. But, when it came to music, it really was his god. He really didn’t mess around with that. So, Miles was looking at me, and I was playing something, and I felt “Wow, I must have something.” But of course, I’ve had other times when I’ve felt the power and spirit of music overtake me, and I realized that I had some God-given talent.
HOW OLD WOULD YOU BE IF YOU DIDN”T KNOW HOW OLD YOU WERE
I think I’d be 54. That’s about how much I think I’ve learned
WHAT WOULD SAY TO A 30 YEAR OLD SONNY ROLLINS
Well, I’d tell him to keep the faith. Because, as I’ve matured, I’ve strengthened my faith. At times, when you’re young, you tend to not be spiritually centered. As I’ve matured, thank goodness, I’m fortunate enough to learn more. I’ve been blessed. I’ve reached the point where I have a spiritual understanding of life. I came into this life knowing pretty much, not that it was easy, but that I’ve had a head start on a lot of mistakes that I’ve seen my contemporaries make over the years, which I could have easily made as well. But, I was fortunate; I didn’t do it myself. The only thing I’m in control of is my faith, and ascribing to my spiritual leaning. Being in touch with that, that’s the only thing that is indelible.
WHAT ARE GENERAL RULES. IF 20 YEAR OLD SONNY CAME UP TO YOU, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL HIM
I’d tell him to follow the Golden Rule. That’s so important. It’s the thing that is the centerpiece of my life. It’s always been there; I just had to mature and understand where it fit into my scheme of things. There’s not much else we can do. We are born into this life not knowing anything. You don’t know when you’re going to die. There are some things we do know, like the tenets of the Golden Rule. That way, I can feel good when I go to sleep, and any problem that I have are because of my own shortcomings. It’s not due to anybody else.
GK CHESTERTON: SAID THAT “THE PROBLEM, SIR, IS ME”
That’s brilliant. That’s the whole thing. We just have to take care of ourselves. Never mind, even in these days with all of the political stuff going on, if we just take care of ourselves. There are enough problems within each of us that we need to solve. That is the real fight. If we get ourselves straight, the rest of the world falls behind. (Seek First His Kingdom, and all these things shall be added).
God made us. Only God can save us, and we’re to take care of ourselves. We need to act like we’re made in His image.