Tommy Flanagan
Piano Solo on
Big Paul

About

Opening the solo section, this piano improvisation spans ten choruses of the 12-bar blues at a medium swing tempo of 142 BPM. Flanagan's solo opening the proceedings is a masterclass in blues piano, combining bebop sophistication with earthy directness. This is the longest solo on the recording in terms of chorus count, suggesting a featured role in the arrangement. The 12-bar blues form provides a familiar harmonic framework that invites inventive melodic and rhythmic exploration. Following this solo, John Coltrane takes over on tenor sax.

Tommy Flanagan was 27 to 28 years old at the time.