I was breathless when I heard it first the night they performed it. I still am every time I listen to it. Especially tonight. We will all miss you, dear, dear Leonard. RIP
The first Jazz concert I ever attended was Sonny Rollins at Massey Hall. "Inspirational" and "transformational" doesn't capture the beauty of the experience. Later, I saw Leonard Cohen. Another special night.
i watched the show on tv that night- this perfomance is burned into my memory banks, inthe best way possible. was not was, david sanborn, sonny rollins and leonard....OMG
Same here. I've never forgotten this performance. Transcendent. I remember Sanborn just watching Rollins with awe and admiration. So glad to see this posted.
+faith hershiser I saw it too and it has haunted me throughout the years recalling what an absolutely grand class performance I had seen. Then one day a few years ago I remembered we have RUclips now, so I googled this. I will play this tonight on my radio show. That last note blew everyone away!
I had the same experience. Saw this when it first aired and never forgot it. I finally thought of "RUclips". It's every bit as good as I remember. Does anyone remember what year? I'm thinking late 80's .. early 90's.
Reportedly, Sonny Rollins - "this saxophone colossus, this master" (to quote Julie Christensen) - came up to her and asked, quietly, "Do you think Mr Cohen likes what I'm doing?" (from _I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen_ by Sylvie Simmons.
Cohen looks mystified, like what is happening here. But it worked and the backing vocals are almost hypnotic. A beautiful collaboration that would never have been expected. Thanks.
I watched this glorious show religiously. The format of artists collaborating floored me. pea wee on background vocals sonny tearing it up and the looks everyone shares with one another, that says we are making living music hear, and it feels like we can fly. The best music clip EVER.
I really enjoy the tension of this collaboration and I think Leonard does too. It's a tension between the saxophone and Leonard's vocal. A real all star here is the sound engineer that perfectly mixed this so that Sonny is completely present, but at the same time you can still discern Leonard's soft finger picking and vocals. So much going on but it's all built around that dulcet voice.
The perfect match. Sonny really adds to it, he brings a jazz sensibility to the song, whilst Cohen is tightrope-walking the Judeo-Hellenic leyline - what a combination. And the backing singer calling out in between verses gives it a nice soul/gospel touch.
I saw Sonny Rollins. That was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I was a bit young to appreciate it, but Rollins took the audience on a musical tour of the stratosphere.
I believe this clip is from David Sanborn's late 80's Sunday night program Night Music.which he co-hosted with Jools Holland. Lots of great moments in that show's brief existence, and this is definitely one of them.
he released his “Who By Fire” five weeks before Rosh Hashanah. The song, composed in response to the 1973 Yom Kippur War, drew its title and theme directly from the High Holy Day liturgy. - The Jewish Standard
Search Sonny Rollins 2 God Bless the Child for link to the black and white preclude to the live Night Music stage. Starts with early 60's Sonny on same song. Saw this, nothing like it, riveting. A stage of Presence, befitting the song
No - the singers are from Was (Not Was) the band isn't. It's Robin Ford on guitar, Debra Dobkin on percussion, Omar Hakim on drums. Blanking on bassist's name.
The women are Perla Battala and Julie Christensen, who were Leonard’s regular backup singers at the time. The men are Sweet Pea Atkinson (the one who does the interjections) and Sir Harry Bowens of Was (Not Was).
leonard appeared, with sonny rollins, on david sanborn's sunday night, in legendary performance of who by fire. sunday night was produced by hal willner in 1989-90 and it was his fantasy turning real. sonny rollins, who was staring at leonard the whole time, picked up his horn and started wailing in a different kind of understanding of the song, after the rehearsal, says julie, ‘rollins-this saxophone colossus, this master’ came up to her and asked, quietly, “do you think mr cohen likes what i’m doing?” -from sylvie simmons, i’m your man
I just listened to a 10h European podcast radio show on Sonny Rollins (yes, 10x 1h, covering 1951-2001 !!!). My opinion of Rollins is that it seems very overrated to me. First of all as a player, he does not seem to me better than Johnny Griffin, Stitt, Roland Kirk, Phil Woods, Lateef ... but enjoys a much more important reputation ... and unjustified in my opinion. Ok he plays well, but not better than the musicians I mentioned. In terms of composition, he did not compose anything, everyone knows that St Thomas is a Caribbean folklore already recorded by Randy Weston in 1955 under the title Fire Down There. His other compositions from the 50s ... well, Oleo, Airegin etc ... this can in no way be compared to the compositions of Trane, Bird, Monk or Shorter ... also, his playing and his sound are terribly degraded after 1966 (36 years). It seems that he was traumatized by the arrival of Ornette, Trane, Ayler ... In the 60's he tried to be more free than Ayler, more calypso / blues than Ornette, and more mystical than Trane, but he didn't. did not succeed. Then in the 70s / 80s he tried to be funky, disco ... with really ridiculous and cheesy results ... Did he want to be funkier than James Brown himself? Also, in the radio show they say that he was paid current $ 300,000 for himself to record the Nucleus album (so listen to the result !!!!), and that, for his concerts, his financial claims were unrealistic, only the big festivals could afford it. He played with the Stones but didn't want to go on tour with them because, according to Jagger himself, he wanted too much money! I mean, I'm not making anything up here. In my opinion, he should have remained what he was before, a disciple of Bird at the Tenor, and quit at the age of 40 to leave a quality job, and without trying to follow fashion. Thank you for not insulting me because I have documented myself on Rollins and I like to have constructive discussions without being attacked on my person.
I don't think you have the faintest clue what you're talking about. I've seen a few of those players, and listened to them all at great length since I was a young man in the 60s, and since I studied jazz in performance college in the late 70s. None of them, with the exception of Coltrane and Parker, were as transcendent as Newk. And none was nearly as melodically stunning.
@@rinahall What kind of weird response is that? Prove what? If you were a serious musician, there would be nothing to prove. If you're not a musician, you won't get it. I suggest you read some of Leonard Feather's analyses of his playing and compositions, as well as other anthologies of jazz. And listen to what other contemporaries and descendants of the tradition have to say about him. It's invariably respect and adulation. His work on 'thematic improvisation' was groundbreaking. Still is. St Thomas comes from two sources, a Bahamian nursery rhyme/folk song and an English folk song. Rollins never claimed to have written it. The melody is from the folk song; the version Rollins recorded is entirely his own, except for the head/melody, which he livened up considerably. Randy Weston was a great player, but his version was not like Newk's version, and you can see it has not come down in jazz history like Rollins's version. If you don't get Sonny Rollins, you're not a jazz aficionado.
@@rinahall Lol, And that's the kind of response I get for attempting to get into a battle of wits with an unarmed man. You have no clue about jazz and who respects who in that world.
I have played this countless times over several years, Iir never gets old ❤
First time I’ve seen this.
Moved me to tears .
So so beautiful…
Sonny's low A at the end is pure genius. If you're a sax player you'll know what I'm talking about.
cool comment
thank you hal willner for everything
The backup singers did a great job
I was breathless when I heard it first the night they performed it. I still am every time I listen to it. Especially tonight. We will all miss you, dear, dear Leonard. RIP
Me too. Sonny Rollins solo makes me cry every time I hear it
I watched this live, and it occupied space in my sub-conscious for many years before the memory emerged and I found the clip. Transcendent.
Beautifully said.
This show was so amazing, music presented with no boundaries, only concerned with showcasing artists in the endless pursuit of artistry.
I love that David Sanborn knows to just listen...
RIP Hal Willner. You made this happen :-)
One of the great improvisers, with one the great songsmiths...
The first Jazz concert I ever attended was Sonny Rollins at Massey Hall. "Inspirational" and "transformational" doesn't capture the beauty of the experience. Later, I saw Leonard Cohen. Another special night.
i watched the show on tv that night- this perfomance is burned into my memory banks, inthe best way possible. was not was, david sanborn, sonny rollins and leonard....OMG
Same here. I've never forgotten this performance. Transcendent. I remember Sanborn just watching Rollins with awe and admiration. So glad to see this posted.
+faith hershiser I saw it too and it has haunted me throughout the years recalling what an absolutely grand class performance I had seen. Then one day a few years ago I remembered we have RUclips now, so I googled this. I will play this tonight on my radio show. That last note blew everyone away!
I had the same experience. Saw this when it first aired and never forgot it. I finally thought of "RUclips". It's every bit as good as I remember. Does anyone remember what year? I'm thinking late 80's .. early 90's.
Folks! Music! No boundaries! Sonny R. And Leonard C. I had'n belived in the earlier 50's!
Reportedly, Sonny Rollins - "this saxophone colossus, this master" (to quote Julie Christensen) - came up to her and asked, quietly, "Do you think Mr Cohen likes what I'm doing?" (from _I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen_ by Sylvie Simmons.
That sounds very much in-character for Sonny, who went into voluntary retirement twice in his prime because he wasn't satisfied with his playing!
Cohen looks mystified, like what is happening here. But it worked and the backing vocals are almost hypnotic. A beautiful collaboration that would never have been expected. Thanks.
I watched this glorious show religiously. The format of artists collaborating floored me. pea wee on background vocals sonny tearing it up and the looks everyone shares with one another, that says we are making living music hear, and it feels like we can fly. The best music clip EVER.
Sweetpea
Watch as Cohen tries not to smile while Was Not Was starts riffing on the lyrics in the background.
I love this version. Sonny is great along with Cohen.
I really enjoy the tension of this collaboration and I think Leonard does too. It's a tension between the saxophone and Leonard's vocal. A real all star here is the sound engineer that perfectly mixed this so that Sonny is completely present, but at the same time you can still discern Leonard's soft finger picking and vocals. So much going on but it's all built around that dulcet voice.
bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla
I used to record the audio from these shows onto cassette and listen to them constantly. Thank you for uploading!
Leonard the greatest!
I love it .. R.I.P. great man ...
The perfect match. Sonny really adds to it, he brings a jazz sensibility to the song, whilst Cohen is tightrope-walking the Judeo-Hellenic leyline - what a combination. And the backing singer calling out in between verses gives it a nice soul/gospel touch.
thank you
Sonny rocking the Chucks and blowing like mad. Legend.
Sonny Rollin the saxophone colossus, condescends
Holy moly this is amazing,2 of my favourite artist on the same stage!!!
Lawd Have Mercy! Sonny!!!
RIP Leonard Cohen.
Simply THE best!!! :)
I saw Sonny Rollins. That was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I was a bit young to appreciate it, but Rollins took the audience on a musical tour of the stratosphere.
How amazing is this .... who can I say is calling ?....
utterly amazing! 😀
Thank you so much for posting this!
I believe this clip is from David Sanborn's late 80's Sunday night program Night Music.which he co-hosted with Jools Holland. Lots of great moments in that show's brief existence, and this is definitely one of them.
David Sanborn is on stage, so I'd say he was probably the host that night.
a truly wonderful surprise
amazing find, thanks so much - two true giants of soul music made to awaken the spirit - perfect for thanksgiving day :-)
An Absoulutely Brilliant Performance In All Ways!
All Hail Monsiuers Cohen and Rollins
A: A very very very great man.
Blow Sonny Rollins 👁️🎵🎷🎶🎨😎✌🏾😔🙏🏾🕊️I See You
he released his “Who By Fire” five weeks before Rosh Hashanah. The song,
composed in response to the 1973 Yom Kippur War, drew its title and
theme directly from the High Holy Day liturgy.
- The Jewish Standard
It's still a good question.
They need to release this show
whoa!!
Inspired
R.I.P.
Search for this: Night Music #119 1989 Leonard Cohen, Sonny Rollins, Ken Nordine, Was (Not Was)
RIP.
Search Sonny Rollins 2 God Bless the Child for link to the black and white preclude to the live Night Music stage. Starts with early 60's Sonny on same song. Saw this, nothing like it, riveting. A stage of Presence, befitting the song
There was a chance this may not have worked. Chance obliterated.
oh and i think that is Jody on percussion.....often saw her with little feat, robert palmer, and others when we would go to concerts
Debra Dobkin.
So thoroughly good. I saw this live, was my favorite show. Still probably is.
I don't imagine you have the rest of the episode?
here you go ruclips.net/video/CUsg3WXJ2Cc/видео.html
Saxophone Colossus
Quick note: The backing band is Was (Not Was).
No - the singers are from Was (Not Was) the band isn't. It's Robin Ford on guitar, Debra Dobkin on percussion, Omar Hakim on drums. Blanking on bassist's name.
tom barney on bass i think
@@dplenn I thought that might be RF on guitar.
sonny steps out.
These backup singers are fire!! Who are they?
The women are Perla Battala and Julie Christensen, who were Leonard’s regular backup singers at the time. The men are Sweet Pea Atkinson (the one who does the interjections) and Sir Harry Bowens of Was (Not Was).
Does anyone know the name of the male background singer (on the far left)? he is incredible
the Group Was not Was
the guy of Mambo #5
🤣🤣🤣
Sweet Pea Atkinson of Was Not Was.
pink floyd in my thoughts
why?
+Funk Fucker probably because of the oriental feel.
leonard appeared, with sonny rollins, on david sanborn's sunday night, in legendary performance of who by fire. sunday night was produced by hal willner in 1989-90 and it was his fantasy turning real.
sonny rollins, who was staring at leonard the whole time, picked up his horn and started wailing in a different kind of understanding of the song, after the rehearsal, says julie, ‘rollins-this saxophone colossus, this master’ came up to her and asked, quietly, “do you think mr cohen likes what i’m doing?”
-from sylvie simmons, i’m your man
Who's the gal over Lenny's left shoulder?
Paul Caporino I think it is Jenifer Warren who workd with Leonard for many yrs.
Peter Barber He was working with background vocalist Julie Christensen (the blonde) and Perla Batalla (the brunette).
Does anyone know the name of any (all) of the vocalists? Thank you!
Perla Batalla, Julie Christensen, and the guys are from the band Was (Not Was). Sorry don't recall their names.
Sonny sounding a little rough at first.
I don't, sorry.
I just listened to a 10h European podcast radio show on Sonny Rollins (yes, 10x 1h, covering 1951-2001 !!!). My opinion of Rollins is that it seems very overrated to me. First of all as a player, he does not seem to me better than Johnny Griffin, Stitt, Roland Kirk, Phil Woods, Lateef ... but enjoys a much more important reputation ... and unjustified in my opinion. Ok he plays well, but not better than the musicians I mentioned. In terms of composition, he did not compose anything, everyone knows that St Thomas is a Caribbean folklore already recorded by Randy Weston in 1955 under the title Fire Down There. His other compositions from the 50s ... well, Oleo, Airegin etc ... this can in no way be compared to the compositions of Trane, Bird, Monk or Shorter ... also, his playing and his sound are terribly degraded after 1966 (36 years). It seems that he was traumatized by the arrival of Ornette, Trane, Ayler ... In the 60's he tried to be more free than Ayler, more calypso / blues than Ornette, and more mystical than Trane, but he didn't. did not succeed. Then in the 70s / 80s he tried to be funky, disco ... with really ridiculous and cheesy results ... Did he want to be funkier than James Brown himself? Also, in the radio show they say that he was paid current $ 300,000 for himself to record the Nucleus album (so listen to the result !!!!), and that, for his concerts, his financial claims were unrealistic, only the big festivals could afford it. He played with the Stones but didn't want to go on tour with them because, according to Jagger himself, he wanted too much money! I mean, I'm not making anything up here. In my opinion, he should have remained what he was before, a disciple of Bird at the Tenor, and quit at the age of 40 to leave a quality job, and without trying to follow fashion.
Thank you for not insulting me because I have documented myself on Rollins and I like to have constructive discussions without being attacked on my person.
I don't think you have the faintest clue what you're talking about. I've seen a few of those players, and listened to them all at great length since I was a young man in the 60s, and since I studied jazz in performance college in the late 70s. None of them, with the exception of Coltrane and Parker, were as transcendent as Newk. And none was nearly as melodically stunning.
@@jeffdwyer1655 prove it
@@rinahall What kind of weird response is that? Prove what? If you were a serious musician, there would be nothing to prove. If you're not a musician, you won't get it. I suggest you read some of Leonard Feather's analyses of his playing and compositions, as well as other anthologies of jazz. And listen to what other contemporaries and descendants of the tradition have to say about him. It's invariably respect and adulation. His work on 'thematic improvisation' was groundbreaking. Still is.
St Thomas comes from two sources, a Bahamian nursery rhyme/folk song and an English folk song. Rollins never claimed to have written it. The melody is from the folk song; the version Rollins recorded is entirely his own, except for the head/melody, which he livened up considerably. Randy Weston was a great player, but his version was not like Newk's version, and you can see it has not come down in jazz history like Rollins's version.
If you don't get Sonny Rollins, you're not a jazz aficionado.
@@jeffdwyer1655 blablabla
@@rinahall Lol, And that's the kind of response I get for attempting to get into a battle of wits with an unarmed man. You have no clue about jazz and who respects who in that world.