05/26/2026
Today we mourn the loss of jazz great Sonny Rollins by featuring one of his landmark, and rarer, albums. 'Freedom Suite,' his 1958 recording for saxophone, bass, and drums trio (with Oscar Pettiford and Max Roach providing bass and drums, respectively), originally included in the sleeve notes a poignant paragraph about the inhumane and hypocritical treatment of Black Americans. Riverside, the record label, quickly reissued the LP under a different title without the controversial paragraph. The Sonoma State Library is lucky to own the original, uncensored 'Freedom Suite' in our LP collection.
Thanks to staff member Jack Ritchie for highlighting the history of this work.