Dodo Marmarosa
Piano Solo on
Stupendous

About

Dodo Marmarosa's piano solo is the 3rd of 5 on this recording, spanning half a chorus at approximately 231 BPM. Set within a swinging rhythmic framework, the 32-bar AABA form and the key of E♭, the solo navigates the chord changes with purpose. The tune borrows its harmonic structure from "'S Wonderful," a set of changes that generations of improvisers have used as a testing ground for new ideas. Positioned between Howard McGhee and Wardell Gray, Marmarosa bridges the conversation between the two. The Gershwin changes provide a harmonically rich framework that differs from the more common rhythm changes and blues vehicles of the era, and each soloist navigates the progression with individual flair. Dodo solos over the second half of a chorus.

Dodo Marmarosa was 21 to 22 years old at the time.