Sonny Stitt
Tenor Sax Solo on
The Eternal Triangle

About

Sonny Stitt's tenor sax solo is the second of 4 solos on this recording, following Sonny Rollins's tenor sax and followed by Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet. Spanning eight choruses of the 32-bar AABA form at a brisk 294 BPM with a swing feel in B♭, the solo runs approximately 3:27. 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 Stitt was 32 to 33 years old at the time of this 1957 recording.

Sonny Stitt was 32 to 33 years old at the time.