Dizzy Gillespie
Trumpet Solo on
The Eternal Triangle

About

Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet solo is the third of 4 solos on this recording, following Sonny Stitt's tenor sax and before Ray Bryant's closing piano statement. Spanning seven choruses of the 32-bar AABA form at a brisk 298 BPM with a swing feel in B♭, the solo runs approximately 3:01. 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. Dizzy Gillespie was 39 to 40 years old at the time of this 1957 recording.

Dizzy Gillespie was 39 to 40 years old at the time.