Sonny Rollins
Tenor Sax Solo on
After Hours

About

Sonny Rollins's tenor sax solo is the second of 3 solos on this recording, following Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet and before Sonny Stitt's closing tenor sax statement. Spanning three choruses of the 12-bar Blues form at a relaxed 67 BPM with a swing feel in G, the solo runs approximately 2:09. The slow tempo reveals aspects of each musician's personality that fast tempos can obscure: Gillespie's lyricism, Rollins's rhythmic wit, and Stitt's commanding tone. 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.