Sonny Rollins
Tenor Sax Solo on
The Eternal Triangle

About

Sonny Rollins's tenor sax solo is the opening of 4 solos on this recording, followed by Sonny Stitt on tenor sax. Spanning five choruses of the 32-bar AABA form at a brisk 282 BPM with a swing feel in B♭, the solo runs approximately 2:16. The composition is a contrafact based on the chord changes of "I Got Rhythm." "The Eternal Triangle" from the 1957 album Sonny Side Up is one of the most celebrated tenor saxophone battles in jazz history, pitting Sonny Rollins against Sonny Stitt with Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet adding a third voice. Sonny Rollins was 26 to 27 years old at the time of this 1957 recording.

Sonny Rollins was 26 to 27 years old at the time.