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Sonny Rollins
FYI
Obituaries: Canadian Artists Pay Tribute To Jazz Great Sonny Rollins, Montreal Disco Star Denyse LePage
This week we also acknowledge the passing of Commodores bassist Ronald LaPread and N.Z. folk and comedy star Dame Jools Topp.
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Canadian
Denyse LePage, a vocalist, songwriter and one-half of hit Montreal dance music duo Lime, died May 20, at age 75, from a stroke.
Lime was originally composed of married couple Denis and Denyse LePage, who had a 1981 U.S. Billboard dance hit with "Your Love.'' They released a large number of albums in the '80s and '90s and continued to perform as recently as 2018, although others have also performed under the name of Lime. Denis LePage died from cancer in 2023, at the age of 74. You can read a Billboard Canada FYI obituary here.
Prior to Lime, Denis LePage performed in the band the Persuaders and by the mid-1970s had formed the jazz-fusion act Le Pouls with Denyse LePage, a singer-songwriter in her own right. Denis LePage secured his first hit with the funky 1979 single ''The Break,'' released under the name Kat Mandu. Released on Unidisc Records, the single was also a hit.
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Lime released their debut album Your Love in 1981. The title track was a gold record and a Billboard Disco chart hit in the U.S.. 1982's second album Lime II was supported by the single "Babe We're Gonna Love Tonight." The duo's last hit track was 1985's ''Unexpected Lovers." Later in the band's run, Denis transitioned and the couple continued to perform together.
Unidisc’s ownership of Lime’s catalogue meant the label could reissue and rework past recordings, and that included recruiting Canadian dance producers Jacques Greene and Tiga to produce remixes of the duo’s classic singles.
In its obituary of Denis LePage, Canadian Press notes that '"With a stream of Billboard chart hits, LePage helped define an era of Canada’s discotheques as part of the duo Lime. LePage, who identified as non-binary, later took the name Nini Nobless. His infectious synthesizer hooks made Lime’s songs favourites at dance clubs around the world."
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In a statement posted on Lime's Facebook page, Unidisc Records noted ''We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Denyse LePage, one half of Montreal’s legendary dance music duo Lime. Her voice, artistry and performances helped define an era of disco, synth pop and Hi-NRG music that continues to inspire generations around the world. I
''It was an honour to help share Lime’s music and legacy through the years. Her bright and unmistakable presence left a lasting mark on the sound of the early 1980s and beyond. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and fans during this difficult time.''
On Facebook, Canadian DJ and record label veteran Vince Degiorgio posted this tribute: ''Sad to hear of the passing of Denyse LePage, of Lime fame. As a co-writer and vocalist of some of the biggest dance hits of the early '80s in Canadian history, their songs like 'Babe, We're Gonna Love Tonight' and 'You're My Magician' were dancefloor eternals and pop hits abroad.
''During this year's NHL playoffs, featuring the Canadiens and Hurricanes, I had a massive smile on my face hearing one of the first records I ever promoted in my career and one of the biggest as a DJ, 'Your Love.' When I spoke to my colleagues about Denyse's passing, it was played four times last night.I was one of a very select few who ever interviewed them in person in my early days working for Unidisc before I started my only label. Often imitated but never duplicated, nothing ever sounded like Lime. RIP Denyse.''
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International
Sonny Rollins, the legendary "Saxophone Colossus" and one of the most influential giants in jazz history, died on May 25, at his home in Woodstock, New York, at the age of 95. His death was announced on his official website. Rollins had been living with pulmonary fibrosis.
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A Billboard obituary describes Rollins as ''the tenor saxophonist whose combination of technical mastery, melodic invention and raw improvisational power made him one of the most consequential figures in jazz history.''
''His passing marks the end of a direct line to jazz’s post-war golden age. Rollins came of age alongside Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker — and outlived them all, spending the decades after their deaths as a living link to that era’s creative revolution. In a career that stretched from his first professional recordings in 1949 through his final public performance in 2012, he released more than 60 albums as a leader and remained an active presence in jazz culture well into his later years.''
Born in New York City to parents who had emigrated from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Rollins grew up in Harlem and came to the saxophone in his early teens — first the alto, then the tenor, which he adopted in his mid-teens and never abandoned. His earliest sessions in 1949 included work alongside singer Babs Gonzalez and pianist Bud Powell, and he was performing with Thelonious Monk before the age of 20.
An extensive Associated Press obituary reports that ''Rollins was jamming with Miles Davis and Bud Powell, who introduced him to the recording world even before he finished high school. But like many jazz musicians in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Rollins’ rising star almost faded when he became hooked on heroin at the age of 19. As his addiction grew steadily worse, Rollins served two stints in jail — 10 months in 1950 and three months in 1953 — and ultimately found himself living on the streets in Chicago. In 1954, Rollins checked himself into a hospital in Lexington, Ky., to undergo drug treatment. After being discharged, he returned to Chicago and signed on as a member of the Max Roach-Clifford Brown quintet.''
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Billboard notes that ''The decade that followed established him as one of the instrument’s pre-eminent voices. His 1956 solo album Saxophone Colossus — recorded for Prestige in a single session — is considered one of the essential documents in all of jazz, and the track 'St. Thomas,' a calypso-inflected original, became one of the music’s most enduring standards.
''That same year he recorded Tenor Madness, a historic session that placed him alongside Coltrane in direct musical conversation. Way Out West (1957), A Night at the Village Vanguard (1957) and The Freedom Suite (1958) followed in quick succession, each adding new dimensions to his reputation.''
In 1959, feeling he had reached a plateau, Rollins stepped away from performing, preferring to practice alone on New York’s Williamsburg Bridge. His 1962 return was marked by the album The Bridge, another career highlight.
Associated Press called Rollins ''a restless genius whose bold, distinctive tone and constant experimentation kept him on the cutting edge of jazz for more than 50 years.
''From his early days as a teen phenom to his more measured solo work and experimentation with free jazz, Rollins was revered for his improvisational skill. He was one of the last living greats of the bebop era and — along with John Coltrane and Charlie Parker — one of the most influential saxophonists of his time.
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''Rock fans got a dose of his music with the Rolling Stones’ 1981 album Tattoo You, which features’ Rollins’ wistful sax solo on the ballad 'Waiting on a Friend,' devised after watching Mick Jagger dance.
''Despite his enduring success, Rollins was never quite satisfied with his art, occasionally taking lengthy hiatuses from playing and consistently adopting eclectic new styles. He always referred to himself as 'a work in progress,' saying he wasn’t one of those artists who settle into one way of playing.
''During his absence, jazz moved away from the fast-paced, tightly woven sound of bebop to the more frenetic and chaotic free jazz. When Rollins chose to return to the scene in 1961, he embraced the new sound — a move that divided his fans. In the mid-’60s, Rollins toured heavily in Europe, switching back and forth between more traditional and avant garde approaches. He contributed original music to the soundtrack of Alfie, the hit 1966 British film that made Michael Caine a star.''
Rollins won the Grammy Award for best jazz instrumental album for This Is What I Do in 2001, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 and the Grammy for best jazz instrumental solo for “Why Was I Born” — from Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert — in 2006, the same year he swept DownBeat’s readers poll.
In 1995, New York City Hall named a day in his honour. In 2017, he donated his personal archives to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.
Over his long career, Rollins frequently performed in clubs and theatres and at jazz festivals in Canada and had a major impact here. Given his stature as a genuine jazz giant, Billboard Canada reached out to some of Canada's top jazz artists and industry figures for tributes and anecdotes. Here are some of the responses.
Don Thompson, a veteran jazz bassist, composer and producer and an Order of Canada recipient: ''Sonny Rollins was the last of the really great jazz players. I never played with him, I never even met him. I listened to him on records for years going back to those records with Clifford Brown but I only heard him live a couple of times.
''The first time was in Oakland California in 1965 at an outdoor festival. He was playing SOLO and I can remember it like it was yesterday. I stood there with John Handy in disbelief as he walked out onto the stage and just started to play, all by himself. He played 'Doxy,' ' "Without a Song,' 'Airegin,' 'God Bless the Child' and a few other tunes I can't remember. There was never a moment when the melody wasn't clear, the harmony wasn't perfectly defined and everything he played swung like mad. It was simply one of the greatest concerts I've ever heard, There are only a few really great people in the history of jazz and Sonny Rollins was definitely one of them.''
Another Canadian jazz luminary and Order of Canada recipient, saxophonist, composer and bandleader Jane Bunnett offered Billboard Canada this eloquent tribute: ''Sonny Rollins was the King. I don't think there'll ever be a greater artist. I spent my early days with my future partner and collaborator, Larry Kramer, listening to Sonny intensely. He had everything a great artist could have --discipline, imagination and he practiced his butt off! A very humble side of his personality always came through.''
''Sonny was famous for practicing under the Williamsburg bridge in NYC in the '60s. My soprano sax teacher who lived in Paris and with whom I studied there told me about the overnight woodshedding sessions with Sonny. In the '90s we were playing a festival in upstate New York featuring Sonny. We were ushered out of our dressing room as he arrived and needed to take it over. When he and his band were onstage soundchecking I went back to pick up something I'd forgotten and I spent a few moments breathing in the aura.
''There were over 20 mouthpieces spread out on the table and a multitude of coloured shirts hung up. I did not meet Sonny that day, but the energy I felt in that room and then hearing him kept me inspired for years. He was renowned for being so in the moment in his performances and I later understood that to get the right vibe he was just trying to get the right things together to keep him inspired for those incredible performances.''
''Lastly, my good friend, the late, great vocal legend Sheila Jordan, spoke to Sonny on the phone every day. Whenever we visited her, Sheila would say 'want to speak to Sonny?' I'll phone him.' We never got to take her up on that. I sure wish we had. The great Sonny Rollins. May he Rest in Peace."
Barry Elmes, an award-winning jazz drummer, composer, record producer, educator and label head (Cornerstone Records), forwarded this tribute: ''Sonny was a huge influence on almost every jazz musician I've ever met, and not just saxophonists. I'm a drummer and I have every recording he ever made. His solos always sound like he's telling a story, and to this day when I practise, I include playing along to one of his recordings because his solos are so expressive, melodically and rhythmically.
''This coming Tuesday, June 2, I'm playing a 'Tribute to Sonny Rollins' at the Jazz Bistro in Toronto, with saxophonists Mike Murley and David French and Pat Collins on bass. I posted this anecdote on my Facebook page as part of that announcement: 'I first heard Sonny ‘live’ in Toronto over 50 years ago at the Mackenzie Corner House (March 17, 1972). I was a young student in the new jazz program at York University and ventured downtown to hear him play two sets with drummer Claude Ranger and bassist Michel Donato.
'I didn’t have very much money, barely made the cover charge, so when I realized that they were clearing the house after the first set I went and hid in the stall in the men’s bathroom, hoping to sneak back into the room when Sonny started his second set. I was sitting nervously for awhile when a man entered the room and stood outside the stall for a while. I remember looking down and seeing very savvy-looking patent leather shoes. Then he left.
'A few minutes later he returned. Same shoes. Then I heard Sonny’s voice: 'Hey, are you ever coming outta there?' I was so embarrassed, I opened the door. 'I need to use it, now!' said Sonny. I apologized and told him why I was hiding. He smiled and told me not to worry; he would tell the staff that I’m his guest!'''
Juno-winning jazz guitarist, composer and bandleader Michael Occhipinti (NOJO, Creation Dream, ES:MO), to Billboard Canada: ''I fell in love with Sonny Rollins when I discovered his album The Bridge. A lot of writers talk about that album as being significant because it was Sonny’s return after a long break spent practicing on the Williamsburg bridge. What often gets overlooked is how it established a new sound in jazz, the sound of a quartet featuring tenor sax and guitar, and no piano.
''When I heard it I immediately recognized that so many modern groups I was listening to owed their sound to that album, and guitarists such as John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Kurt Rosenwinkel and my local heroes such as Ed Bickert or Lorne Lofsky all used that guitar/tenor lineup at various points. And that was the lineup of my own first jazz quartet.
''And let’s face it, the playing and group sound on The Bridge is just sooooo good! Mind you, you can say that about a lot of Sonny Rollins albums.
''As I went further into his catalogue, wrote out a few of his solos, and heard him live (front row seats at Massey Hall!) I also appreciated Sonny’s approach to improvising and building a solo. Hearing how he could take a small idea and vary it and build a longer idea out of it, really influenced me. Anytime I catch myself developing a small idea into a bigger improvisation I quietly acknowledge my gratitude to Sonny.
''He was always searching and striving to build solos that came out of listening and invention rather than patterns, and that requires quite a bit of bravery and a willingness to not always sound perfect. Sonny Rollins embodied what an artist has to have, the restless need to explore and the bravery to do that exploring in public.''
Veteran Toronto jazz promoter Serge Sloimovits, to Billboard Canada: ''I was so lucky to work with Sonny Rollins for so many years, doing concerts in Paris, New York City and one show in the 90s in Toronto, a duet performance with Horace Parlan. He was the last living direct connection to Bebop, fifty plus years of changing music. He was also the nicest musician I ever worked with.''
Acclaimed Toronto bassist, composer, bandleader and producer Roberto Occhipinti, to Billboard Canada: ''When I was a 17 year old bass player there was a festival at the Town Inn with the top Toronto jazz musicians at the time. All of them made an impression upon me but I came for the headliner Sonny Rollins. He was doing it as a trio with the great Montreal jazz musicians Michel Donato on bass and Claude Ranger on drums. They were on stage , with a full house waiting on Sonny.
''A sound emanated from the kitchen , the massive sound of the tenor sax, who could only be Sonny Rollins. He came out playing a tune and the rhythm section picked up it and jumped, sounding as though they rehearsed but in reality, hearing each other for the first time. This went on for one hour, with Sonny seguing between tunes with his famous cadenzas connecting it all together.
''No words were spoken or needed, it all came out of the horn and at the end, he marched back to the kitchen to a standing ovation and created a legendary moment in the history of jazz in Toronto and an unforgettable impression on this young musician as to what jazz truly was. Connection and commitment.''
Other prominent Canadian musicians offered tributes on social media. Award-winning saxophonist and composer Mike Murley, on Facebook: ''What an inspiration Sonny was and will continue to be. I feel so fortunate to have heard him live many times. The sound, the time feel, his spontaneity and sheer energy were incredible. He is certainly someone I studied and count among my biggest influences. Ironically I have a gig celebrating his music booked at the Jazz Bistro in Toronto next Tuesday. That will feel a lot more poignant now. RIP Master."
On Facebook, renowned Canadian jazz critic and author Mark Miller posted a tribute that reads, in part: ''Remembering Sonny Rollins on word of his passing today at the age of 95. For all of his impact on modern jazz — the magisterial presence, the compelling and influential alternative that he presented to John Coltrane in the tenor tradition of the 1950s and 1960s, the tunes ('Airegin,' ' Doxy,' 'Oleo, ' 'Sonnymoon for Two, ' 'St. Thomas, ' 'Tenor Madness,' for just six) that he contributed to the standard repertoire — he remained remarkably humble, perhaps even troublingly so.“
''I’ve survived,' he told me in 2005, downplaying the notion that — then 74 and still nine years from retirement — he was one of the music’s elder statesmen. 'I’ve been out here for a while. I never take anything for granted. I’m still practising everyday, still trying to get to certain things musically. So I don’t assume that I’m a great statesman. If somebody feels that way about me, I’m humbled, but I certainly don’t assume that I, myself, am someone to be revered. Every time I play, that’s my test. Of course now that I’m older, people may give me a little more of the doubt.'''
''Rollins, I suggested at the time, wasn’t the sort of artist who was looking for the benefit of the doubt. Many musicians a few months shy of 75 would be resting on their laurels. Not Sonny. 'No,' he agreed. “No, no, no, I don’t feel I’ve amassed enough laurels to rest on.'''
Saxophonist/composer Richard Underhill (The Shuffle Demons) on Facebook: ''RIP Saxophone Colossus. Sonny was inspirational. I loved his use of motifs and how he developed them with rhythmic twists and turns. Lucky to have seen him.''
Julie Bethridge (Jools) Topp, one half of the Topp Twins, a highly popular New Zealand music comedy duo, died on May 23, at age 68, of cancer. In March 2022 Jools and her twin sister Lynda revealed that they had both been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021.
As The Topp Twins, the sisters became one of New Zealand's best-known entertainers through live performances, television and film over several decades. They combined country and folk music, comedy, and political activism, and performed as original characters including Ken & Ken and Camp Mother and Camp Leader.
An obituary on New Zealand music history website Audioculture noted that ''The pair have championed many movements for 40 years, as courageous campaigners for the rights of women, gays and lesbians, unions, and a nuclear-free New Zealand. The 2009 documentary Untouchable Girls was described as 'the history of New Zealand in the time of the Topps.'''
Raised on a dairy farm in the Waikato region, the twins started their career busking in Christchurch and Auckland during the 1970s and performed at protests and public events relating to issues including women's rights, homosexual law reform, Māori land rights and opposition to the 1981 Springbok tour. They both started identifying as lesbian from the late 1970s.
They were popular early on performing on the university circuit around New Zealand.The twins sang country and folk music with strong harmonies a signature. NZ music journalist/author Chris Bourke observed that ''Apart from their exuberance and chutzpah, the most identifiable thing about the Topps in performance is their harmonies. Like countless sibling acts before them, from the Carters to the Louvins and the Finns, their approach to harmony stands apart.''
Lynda led the comedy and crowdwork, while Jools played the guitar and led the songwriting. Jools Topp also had poetry published in the feminist magazine Broadsheet.
“We never see ourselves as just musicians or singers,” said Jools Topp in a 2018 interview for AudioCulture. “We certainly don’t just see ourselves as comedians, you see, we’re vaudeville! We’re old school!”
In 1984, the twins were named performers of the year by New Zealand on Air, and in 1987 they received the top award for Best Entertainer at the Listener Film and Television Awards. They appeared on NZ television in character many times, including hosting a quiz show called Mr and Mrs, in which couples answered questions about how well they knew each other, and from 2014 to 2016 a cooking show called Topp Country.
In 2009 the documentary film The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, directed by Leanne Pooley, was released. It tells the story of the twins' life and career, including through interviews with the twins and their characters, and it screened at international festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival.
From March to September 2018, they were the subject of a touring exhibition launched at the National Library of New Zealand. Former New Zealand prime ministers Jacinda Ardern and Helen Clark both attended the launch.
In 2023, the twins published their autobiography Untouchable Girls: The Topp Twins' Story. It received the Nielsen BookData NZ Award for bestselling NZ title at the 2024 Aotearoa New Zealand Book Industry Awards.
The sisters were both appointed Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours.
Ronald LaPread, the bass player and co-founding member of The Commodores, has died at the age of 75 in Auckland.
His daughter, music producer Soraya LaPread, confirmed his death on social media on May 31. A Radio New Zealand obituary reported that ''LaPread was renowned for his bass lines on classic hits including 'Brick House', 'Three Times a Lady' and 'Easy', performing alongside well-known musicians including Lionel Richie.The Alabama native was a member of the group from 1970 to 1986 and played on 11 of its albums.
LaPread later reunited with The Commodores and Lionel Richie when they toured New Zealand in recent years, including a performance at Spark Arena in Auckland last year. While he left the group after moving to New Zealand four decades ago, LaPread remained close with his former bandmates. During a 2014 interview with Auckland-based music website 13th Floor, Lionel Richie joked that LaPread was always "practising" for a reunion whenever The Commodores or Richie visited New Zealand.He would continue to make appearances alongside The Commodores and Richie whenever they came to tour in later years.
Away from the international spotlight, LaPread became a familiar figure in New Zealand's music community. N.Z. music magazine publisher and DJ Murray Cammick recalled on Facebook that ''Over the years I have enjoyed his fab tales of the Commodores days. I recall being at a friend's wedding and Tony T was fronting a band doing all the classic wedding tunes and Prince songs.
''They played 'Sweet Home Alabama' and Ronald and his young son jumped onto the dance floor. For a second I thought, 'Why' and then I recalled that the Commodores came from Alabama, and the Lynyrd Skynyrd song was a 'bama anthem.'''
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