Sonny Rollins Wins Sweden's Polar Music Prize for 2007

Sonny Rollins has been awarded the Polar Music Prize Award along with composer Steve Reich. The Polar Music Price was founded in 1989 by the late Stig Anderson of the pop group ABBA. Previous winners include Sir Paul McCartney, Dizzy Gillespie, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Joni Mitchell, Pierre Boulez, Bruce Springsteen, Burt Bacharach, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Led Zeppelin.

The Sonny Rollins Citation read: "The 2007 Polar Music Prize is awarded to the American tenor saxophonist and composer Sonny Rollins, one of the most powerful and personal voices in jazz for more than 50 years. Sonny Rollins has elevated the unaccompanied solo to the highest artistic level--all characterized by a distinctive and powerful sound, irresistible swing, and an individual musical sense of humor. He is still active and the greatest remaining master from one of jazz's seminal eras."

"It's a real honor for me to receive the Polar Prize from the great country of Sweden," Rollins said. "Sweden has always been one of my favorite places to play over the years. The Swedish public has been very receptive to my music and supportive of jazz in general."

Rollins will receive his prize from His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden at a gala ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall to be followed by a celebratory banquet at Grand Hôtel on Monday the 21st of May.

A whole weekend of activities is being planned under the name of Polar Music Prize Week, encompassing exhibitions, workshops, seminars, film screenings, and live performances at various locations in Stockholm.

The Polar Music Prize was founded in 1989 by the late Stig "Stikkan" Anderson. As the publisher, lyricist, and manager of ABBA, he played a key role in that group's enormous success. Anderson donated a large sum of money to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music to establish the Stig Anderson Music Award Foundation.

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