The Notebooks of Sonny Rollins

Music critic and short story writer Reese (Blue Notes) celebrates tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins with this evocative if occasionally enigmatic collection of the 93-year-old jazz legend’s personal notes spanning from 1959 to 2010. Individually precise, yet somewhat loosely arranged into four broad sections, Rollins’s undated jottings break down his practice routine in commentary that can be mundane or surprisingly philosophical (“Today—cheeks must be puffed out the same degree when playing high or low C”; “Remember speed is relative, in that a thorough knowledge of a given passage will ultimately produce speed—so go slowly”). Intermingled throughout are shopping and reading lists, breathing exercises, and notes on cat diets. Later entries recount overseas tours, or feature letters to Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama championing arts initiatives and scholarships. Though some readers may wish for more organizational cohesion, a sense of the artist’s complicated internal life and nearly religious dedication to his craft comes through powerfully and poetically: “When I play my horn I can never play the same note in the same way twice. Just like life. Every moment is a new beginning. Even if I’m playing the same song it’s different each time I play it. That’s why they call jazz... the greatest and most challenging music in the world.... It’s the music of the heavens.” This will be a boon for Rollins’s myriad admirers. (Mar.)