Johnny Griffin
Tenor Sax Solo on
Cherokee

About

Johnny Griffin's tenor sax solo is the opening of 2 solos on this recording, before Wynton Kelly's closing piano statement. Spanning three choruses of the 64-bar AABA form at a brisk 323 BPM with a swing feel in B♭, the solo runs approximately 2:27. This track, alongside the other uptempo showcases on the album, established Griffin as a tenor saxophonist of extraordinary ability and helped define the standard for virtuosic hard bop playing in the 1950s. Johnny Griffin was 27 to 28 years old at the time of this 1956 recording.

Johnny Griffin was 27 to 28 years old at the time.