Sonny Rollins
Tenor Sax Solo on
Strode Rode

About

Opening the solo section, this tenor sax improvisation spans two choruses of the 40-bar AABA form at an uptempo swing feel at 248 BPM. His solo demonstrates the thematic development approach that jazz critic Gunther Schuller would famously analyze in his landmark essay on Rollins's method of improvisation, where small melodic cells are systematically varied and transformed across the course of a solo. The 40-bar form provides a defined harmonic landscape for the improvisation. Following this solo, Tommy Flanagan takes over on piano.

Sonny Rollins was 25 to 26 years old at the time.