Rollins fights poor health with new album

One of the last in a generation of jazz greats, Sonny Rollins once thought music could change the world. His optimism about humanity has since vanished but, at 85, he still has much he wants to say.

Called the "Saxophone Colossus", a nickname that was also the title of his seminal 1956 album, he is among a handful of sax players - including John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Coleman Hawkins - who defined the instrument, with Rollins creating a heavy-charging, mordant style that was also readily experimental.

The hardworking tenor saxophonist has taken several extended sabbaticals, most famously when he temporarily retired - yet he would practice on New York's Williamsburg Bridge. He later moved to India and Japan to explore spirituality.