You Think It's Easy Playing with Sonny Rollins

[MrMediacre]

Jesus Christ, that static at the end scared the ever-loving shit out of me.

[SnapshotsMusic]

Great story. AFX track coming in around 3:54

[fettfri]

One of the best videos _ever_.

In my opinion, only by being aware of the option to quit can you truly choose to continue.

[SIRONEDRAGON]

cool  : )

[seulbzzaj]

What concert was Clifton referring to?

[JazzVideoGuy]

@seulbzzaj A gig in Atlanta over 15 years ago.

[RomainPietersen]

@JazzVideoGuy

Do you know where I can find the entire interview? Is it on DVD or something?

[JazzVideoGuy]

@RomainPietersen This is basically it.

[RomainPietersen]

@JazzVideoGuy Ok, thanks!

[andyrpetr]

static at the end is great. this is art

[musicalala]

All I can say is,I hope Sonny has a LOT of time left. We need him.

[lmsypj]

it was cool until he said trombone. he he. nah j/k.

[raa1231]

What in the world did Sonny play that night.....??

[24tictic]

Sonny Rollins is too SAXIE!

[lrossmusic]

boy have i felt like that ... i love Clifton's trombone sound especially in the lower register

[94incurabil]

much love and respect to Clifton Anderson .

[ThomasC1222]

You never give up. You just practice, forever!

[knowledgeispowerfful]

Very well spoken and nicely put. Thanks for sharing!! How is Sonny doing these days, is he playing anywhere??

[Okbooboo]

Reminds me of a story a friend told of when Coltrane first came to the UK. Afterwards there were some guys trying to sell their saxes- OK, that's IT......I'm NEVER going to match that! Well, all I have to say is, these guys may be Gods, but there's always room for angels! Everyone who attains a certain standard and has integrity (unlike whores such as Kenny Gee) brings something to the art. Same thing happened when Hendrix came on the scene. Don't do it guys!

[pichipachu]

cool interview!!!

Maybe cuz you were playing your ass off is precisely what made Sonny take off... (yeah!).

Love your interview!

And of course we all love Sonny!

But once you've done your studying (yes, I know that 'studying' never ends)... the WHOLE powerful thing about this style music... is PLAYING OFF EACH OTHER.

[lowgrau]

Wise words.

Thanks.

I was talking to McCoy Tyner in a park in Frisco. I had just sold my drums to make a little movie, and McCoy said , Do you play? I said I play drums, but... and he said But what? You play drums!

Kept me going for 40 more years.

[gkaykck]

just beatiful. the answer is astonishing

[pornswordtobacco]

nice and generous words, and the static in the end seems almost to perfect its like music in it self to the film.

great upload, thanks!

[booksteve]

thanks Bret for this video. What Clifton says here is so valuable to musicians no matter what age. This music we love is a formidable task to accomplish and it requires great effort to keep going , climbing all the time. We have to admire and be inspired by Sonny's beautiful dedication to this goal.

[twijag]

My thoughts went to Tyson Gay who just ran the 100m race of his life a few days ago in Germany and recorded his best ever time but saw Usain Bolt take gold sprinting way ahead that must have felt similar to how you felt Clifton. I guess it all needs to be tempered with humility and knowing one's strengths and believing that you have something unique to offer this beautiful world of music and life.

[twijag]

If you truly love the music then it eventually makes you dig deeper into your own journey. Music is not a competition. This is true however playing music in a live band setting is a team sport and each player needs to hold his own.

[nemo227]

@twijag Spoken like a true musician. Real musicians love to practice/play. They feel more alive when they play and the dynamics of playing in a group enables them to grow and feel more alive.

[twijag]

Thankyou for this insight Clifton and for this and so many other amazing films Brett. Playing alongside a master of this greatness is simultaneously inspiring and depressing. Miles wanted to quit when he first played with Parker, knowing you have to follow something so great can force you to reach even higher. You will also have times when you sink!

[7578229474]

Thanks for the honest insight. No doubt coming from a brother who has knowledge and respect for the "tradition".

Grace and Peace to you.

[5hoele55]

melludolgur: An honest, earnest perspective expressed free of irony, coming from a cat playing in a musical environment level you could likely only dream of. Of course it seems ridiculous to you.

[Morahman7vnNo2]

Good thing we still have great teachers to school such good students.

[decus69]

" That maybe one day I could sound,maybe,something like JJ." Hmmm

This clip seems to edited quite cleverly.

[Saxodude95]

great story

[Soulnik]

Careful what you wish for, Clifton. Sonny schooled you good!

[melludolgur]

What a ridiculous perspective, he was going to quit because he thinks the ultimate goal is a level of musicianship. What happened to the voice, contributing a unique voice that no one else has. You can not rate art on a scale of... five!

[YaniT991]

Kinda puts Sonny into perspective, doesn't it? We was peaking in 5th and den Sonny pressed da pedal!!!

[tremblate]

the static at the end is a bit disconcerting. Good anecdote though.

[JasonMort1979]

Really fascinating. I love Sonny. And Clifton's perspective is really encouraging, because virtually everybody who's tried to play jazz has thought of giving up.

[oober349]

Unfortunately, he didn't help settle my worries about my personal improvisational skills to the extent which I had hoped, but it's nice to hear some encouragement and perspective from Sonny.

[czegoszukasz]

Thanks for a great clip. Unfortunately something's wrong with the video and sound @3:50 :-(

[Tsutsomu]

very interesting.

Thanks a lot.

Steph.