Jazz Series Merchandise

“Newk Meets Newk” Limited Edition Photo

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The ONLY DOUBLE-AUTOGRAPHED photo of SONNY ROLLINS and his namesake, DON NEWCOMBE, the former major league pitcher for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers.

Photo Description: Each photo (four of 10 remain available) is an 8"x10", color, matted/framed. Originally shot: circa 1995, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Photos available exclusively from the "We Always Swing" Jazz Series. All proceeds from sales benefit the Jazz Series (Value: $3,500. Purchase tax-deductible to the extent of the law.)

"NEWK MEETS NEWK": What's it all about?

The legend of Sonny Rollins and Don Newcombe…Many people know the Saxophone Colossus' long-standing nickname is "Newk," but far fewer know how—and why—it came to be. According to Sonny Rollins, one summer day in 1951 he and Miles Davis were in a cab on their way to Ebbets Field to see the Brooklyn Dodgers. When the cab stopped to let the two jazz icons out, Sonny says the cab driver mistook him for Don Newcombe, then in the height of his pitching career. Davis supposedly joked about it and began calling Sonny "Newk." Rollins says the name stuck – first within the jazz world and then beyond – and so it came to be.

Rollins would later compose "Newk's Fadeaway" – which the saxophonist says was meant to paint a musical picture of Newcombe's pitching motion. The righthander, physically larger then the statuesque Rollins, apparently would fall off the mound after releasing the ball – as if he were fading. By the way, Newcombe, who batted lefthanded, was considered among the best hitting pitchers in baseball history with a lifetime average of .271. He also belted 15 career home runs and drove in 108 runs in his 12-year career that ran from 1949-1960.

How ten copies of the "Newk Meets Newk" photograph came to be

The Jazz Series originally acquired a single photograph of the two men through Don Newcombe's representative. Newcombe had agreed to participate in a major "We Always Swing" Jazz Series fundraiser, "A Night of Jazz & Baseball," which took place April 28, 2001. in the Jazz Series' hometown – Columbia, Missouri. Among the other featured guests: a trio of former major league players Orlando Cepeda, Tommy Davis and Carmen Fanzone. Aside from their link professionally each, like Newcombe, loves jazz. Additional special guests included: filmmaker Ken Burns; sportscaster and host Bob Costas; and Gerald Early, the well-known author and scholar. The event showcased a nine-piece ensemble led by the late pianist James Williams; along with a pair of bassists – Ray Drummond and Christian McBride – drummer Tony Reedus; saxophonists Von Freeman, Bobby Watson and Steve Wilson; trumpeter Terell Stafford; and vocalist Sue Raney.

In conversation with Newcombe, the Jazz Series learned that he and Rollins not only new each other, but also that they had the occasion to snap a photo together at the 1995 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, where Rollins was performing and Newcombe was in attendance. According to the two principals – Tenor saxophone-titan Sonny Rollins and Don Newcombe, the former standout pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers-turned Los Angeles Dodgers – this is the ONLY set of pictures in ever taken and in existence of the two look-alikes.

Upon learning about the photograph, the Jazz Series inquired whether Newcombe would be willing to send a copy to the Jazz Series. A live and silent auction was going to be part of its special event. Upon receiving the photo the Jazz Series had it professionally enlarged to 8"x10" and had 10 copies reproduced.

Both Newcombe and Rollins agreed to sign the copies, which were "bicycled" across the country – Rollins is on the East Coast, Newcombe on the West Coast – and back to Missouri in time for "A Night of Jazz & Baseball."

A total of five (5) copies were auctioned and/or purchased that night. Subsequently a jazz and baseball enthusiast purchased a sixth copy leaving four (4) remaining images.

The remaining FOUR (4) "NEWK MEETS NEWK" images are available for purchase. Proceeds will benefit the Jazz Series