09/03/2026
WKCR is very pleased to announce a special broadcast celebrating the life and work of the renowned saxophonist Sonny Rollins. This special broadcast will run from midnight to midnight on September 7th on FM and HD radio and online, preempting all regularly scheduled Monday programming.
Hailing from Sugar Hill, Harlem, Rollins was immersed in the budding scene of hard bop right out of high school, collaborating with J.J. Johnson, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, and Miles Davis. In his autobiography, Davis writes, “People loved Sonny Rollins up in Harlem and everywhere else. He was a legend, almost a god, to a lot of the younger musicians. Some thought he was playing the saxophone on the level of Bird. I know one thing–he was close. He was an aggressive, innovative player who always had fresh musical ideas. I loved him back then as a player, and he could also write his ass off…”
Over his many years and broad influence, Rollins became a defining voice in his craft through landmark recordings such as Saxophone Colossus (1956), Way Out West (1957), and The Bridge (1962). Beyond his legendary improvisation and lasting compositions such as “Oleo,” “St. Thomas”, and “Tenor Madness”, his dedication to this music manifested in pauses from the scene. Most famously, his two-year hiatus, during which he practiced on the Williamsburg Bridge to avoid disturbing his neighbors.
We invite you all to join us in celebrating the enduring legacy of Sonny Rollins through 24 hours of programming from one of the most transformative voices in the tradition of jazz. Listeners can tune in to our Sonny Rollins Birthday Broadcast on 89.9 FM or stream it live on our website, wkcr.org. Follow WKCR on Instagram (WKCR) and Twitter () for updates about this special broadcast and future events. As always, online listening is available 24/7 at wkcr.org via our web stream.
