New York J 2257: Mourning the death of legendary sax player, Sonny Rollins, one of the most important and influential jazz musicians in the history of American music

Bill Text

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Skip to main content 

 New York State Assembly

 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

 --> 
 --> 

 --> 

• 
 Assembly Members 

• 
 Legislative Info 

• 
 Public Hearings 

• 
 Speaker's Press 

• 
 Assembly Reports 

• 
 Committees & More 

• Bill Search Home
• Laws
• Legislative Calendar
• Public Hearing Schedule
• Assembly Calendars
• Assembly Committee Agenda 

 Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page. 

 Bill No.: 

• Summary 
• Actions 
• Committee&nbspVotes 
• Floor&nbspVotes 
• Memo 
• Text 
• LFIN 
• Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript 
J02257 Summary:

BILL NOJ02257 

&nbsp

SAME ASNo Same As

&nbsp

SPONSORCLEARE

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

&nbsp

Go to top J02257 Actions:

BILL NOJ02257 

&nbsp

05/28/2026REFERRED TO FINANCE

06/02/2026REPORTED TO CALENDAR FOR CONSIDERATION

06/02/2026ADOPTED

06/04/2026REPORTED TO CALENDAR FOR CONSIDERATION

06/04/2026ADOPTED

Go to topJ02257 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topJ02257 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topJ02257 Text:

Senate Resolution No. 2257

BY: Senator CLEARE

 MOURNING the death of legendary sax player, Sonny
 Rollins, one of the most important and influential
 jazz musicians in the history of American music

 WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor and pay
tribute to those musical geniuses whose commitment and creative talents
have contributed to the entertainment and cultural enrichment of their
community, the State of New York, the Nation and the world; and

 WHEREAS, It is with profound sorrow and deep regret that this
Legislative Body mourn the death of legendary sax player, Sonny Rollins,
one of the most important and influential jazz musicians in the history
of American music, noting the significance of his inspired life and
accomplishments; and

 WHEREAS, Sonny Rollins, whose forceful and imaginative approach to
the tenor saxophone made him one of the dominant jazz musicians of the
post-World War II era, died at his home in Woodstock, New York, on
Monday May 25, 2026, at the age of 95; and

 WHEREAS, Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins was born on September 7,
1930 in New York City to parents from the Virgin Islands; and

 WHEREAS, The youngest of three siblings, Sonny Rollins grew up in
central Harlem and on Sugar Hill, not far from the Savoy Ballroom, the
Apollo Theatre, and the doorstep of his idol, Coleman Hawkins; receiving
his first alto saxophone at the age of seven or eight, he was inspired
by Louis Jordan, Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong; and

 WHEREAS, Sonny Rollins switched to tenor saxophone in 1946 at the
age of 16 to emulate Coleman Hawkins; and

 WHEREAS, During his high-school years, Sonny Rollins played in a
band with other future jazz legends Jackie McLean, Kenny Drew, and Art
Taylor; and

 WHEREAS, Sonny Rollins attended Edward W. Stitt Junior High School
and graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School in East Harlem in 1948;
and

 WHEREAS, While living in Sugar Hill in the early 1950's, Sonny
Rollins established a reputation first among musicians, then the public,
as the most brash and creative young tenor on the scene, through his
work and recordings with Babs Gonzales, J.J. Johnson, Bud Powell,
Thelonious Monk, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Charlie Parker, and Miles
Davis; and

 WHEREAS, In 1956, after returning from a brief move to Chicago,
Sonny Rollins began recording the first of a series of landmark
recordings issued under his own name: "Valse Hot" introduced the
practice, now common, of playing bop in 3/4 meter; "St. Thomas"
initiated his explorations of calypso patterns; and "Blue 7" was hailed
by Gunther Schuller as demonstrating a new manner of "thematic

improvisation," in which the soloist develops motifs extracted from his
theme; and

 WHEREAS, Sonny Rollins' 1956 album "Saxophone Colossus" was selected
for preservation by the National Recording Registry of the Library of
Congress in 2016; and

 WHEREAS, During the years 1956 to 1958, Sonny Rollins was widely
regarded as the most talented and innovative tenor saxophonist in jazz,
and his first examples of the unaccompanied solo playing that would
become a specialty also appeared in this period; yet the perpetually
dissatisfied saxophonist questioned the acclaim his music was
attracting, and between 1959 and late 1961, he withdrew from public
performance; and

 WHEREAS, Sonny Rollins returned to action in late 1961, his first
recording was appropriately titled "The Bridge" and by the mid-60s, his
live sets became grand, marathon stream-of-consciousness solos where he
would call forth melodies from his encyclopedic knowledge of popular
songs, including startling segues and sometimes barely visiting one
theme before surging into dazzling variations upon the next; and

 WHEREAS, The period between 1962 and 1966 saw Sonny Rollins working
and striking productive relationships w