Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins[2][3] (born September 7, 1930)[4] is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians.[4] In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a leader. A number of his compositions, including "St. Thomas", "Oleo", "Doxy", "Pent-Up House", and "Airegin", have become jazz standards. Rollins has been called "the greatest living improviser"[5] and the "Saxophone Colossus".