Richard (of RBB)'s review of the Sonny Rollins concert.

Saturday 11th June; Michael Fowler Centre; Wellington, NZ.
One of my most lasting memories will be the joy on my youngest brother's face (also a double bassist) after he got to shake hands with the bassist who played on The Sidewinder. After the concert Mr Cranshaw wandered out to retrieve his music and was happy to chat from the edge of the stage. He played the concert partly obscured behind a double music stand and I wondered why he needed dots - the song structures were pretty straight forward, and I'm sure he's played them many times.
Set list:
1. D. Cherry
2. Patanjali
3. Blue Gardenia
4. Serenade
5. Newark News
6. They Say It’s Wonderful
7. Tenor Madness
8. Don’t Stop the Carnival
His bass guitar playing was rock steady, as was the playing of the whole band.
It will also be a while before I forget Mr Rollins' hair. His white mop sat on his head like one of those Russian hats. His body looked a bit bent and frail, but he was able to call on an enormous amount of energy - and what a set of lungs! He played for just under two hours and there was no doubt that he played every note on that saxophone many times! His playing sounded fresh and like he was finding every phrase for the first time. He was in total command. It is always a special privilege to get to hear someone like Mr Rollins when one lives in a country so far away from the main action.
It took me a little while to get into the music - that's no criticism, I think I'm just a bit slow to catch on sometimes.
'They Say It's Wonderful' really caught me up in the music. 'Tenor Madness' seemed to slip in - almost like the band didn't know what he was going to play; that kept us in the audience guessing for a short while. Mr Rollins seemed to explore every possible way through those blues changes and, with such an onto it rhythm section, was able to step a long way out. Great stuff!
After the concert everyone seemed to be smiling. Shelley and I stood around and chatted with friends until officials herded us out of the auditorium. Nights like this are always special and are never to be forgotten.
To steal a quote from my dear friend Nicola (of Nicola's Supermarket Bag),
"What happens in life is not what happens to you, but what you remember and how you remember it."