"I Feel a Song Coming On" from Sonny Rollins Plus 4, recorded in 1956, is a blazing up-tempo performance of the Jimmy McHugh standard. Set in E-flat major with an AABA form spanning 56 bars, the track features three one-chorus solos at an exhilarating 331 BPM. Sonny Rollins opens with a tenor saxophone solo that navigates the extended form with rhythmic daring and melodic wit. Clifford Brown's trumpet chorus is a masterclass in bebop articulation at high speed, his lines unfolding with the logical inevitability that characterized his best work. Pianist Richie Powell completes the solo sequence with a lighter-toned but equally swinging contribution. The album Sonny Rollins Plus 4 brought together Rollins with the Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet, creating a session that ranks among the most significant in 1950s jazz. This particular track showcases the group's ability to maintain musical coherence at extreme tempos, a hallmark of the hard bop era's most accomplished ensembles. The longer 56-bar form gives each soloist more melodic real estate per chorus than a standard 32-bar tune, and all three make effective use of the space. Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio for Prestige Records, this performance captures the excitement and technical mastery that defined mid-century modern jazz at its finest.
