Europeans really provided many venues over there and hailed the jazz artists, and a lot of musicians went over there and stayed over there for a long time. A lot of them moved over there, lived over there, and died over there. Sonny Rollins More Quotes by Sonny Rollins More Quotes From Sonny Rollins I think the problem starts with the general appreciation of the music in the larger society. Sonny Rollins problem appreciation thinking There was a period which I refer to as the 'Golden Age of Jazz,' which sort of encompasses the middle Thirties through the Sixties, we had a lot of great innovators, all creating things which will last the world for a long, long time. Sonny Rollins creating-things age long I've played with all of the heavyweights in the modern jazz, progressive jazz movement. I've been fortunate enough to play with them, a who's who. All of those guys, I've been fortunate enough to have performed with. Sonny Rollins heavyweights guy play I have seen great jazz musicians die obscure and drinking themselves to death and not really being able to get any work and working in small, funky jazz clubs. Sonny Rollins clubs musician drinking I enjoy playing clubs. I still enjoy the closeness of the nightclub venue. However, after a certain period of time and after playing around some of the clubs in New YorkI felt that jazz should be presented in a more prestigious atmosphere. Sonny Rollins atmosphere clubs jazz I don't want to appear hostile, like I'm hostile to L.A. or that I feel that the people don't appreciate jazz. I don't think it's that. I think it's something more. It's something a little bit more complicated than that. Sonny Rollins appreciate people thinking There have been many great musicians that, Clifford Brown is one great example, I mean he died very early, 25. Sonny Rollins musician example mean What I can say is that for may years jazz musicians had to go to Europe, for instance, to be respected and to be sort of treated not in a discriminatory way. I don't think there is anything controversial about me saying that. This is just a fact. Sonny Rollins saying think me way I guess fortunate that I'm still around and I emphasize I guess because you never can tell what musicians would be playing had they been around as long as I have. Sonny Rollins musicians never you long