About
Flip Phillips's quarter-chorus tenor saxophone solo is the sole improvisation on this poignant ballad performance of Burton Lane's standard. Phillips takes just 8 bars before Billie Holiday sings the chorus out. At 74 BPM over a brief passage of the 32-bar ABAC form in F, Phillips's warm, full-bodied tone and melodic sensitivity make every note count, each phrase carefully placed for emotional effect. The brevity of the solo is itself a statement of restraint, serving as a tender instrumental interlude within one of the Solitude album's most emotionally exposed moments.
Flip Phillips was 36 to 37 years old at the time.
Comments
What do you think of this solo?