Sonny Rollins
Tenor Sax Solo on
I Know That You Know

About

Sonny Rollins's tenor sax solo is the opening of 3 solos on this recording, followed by Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet. Spanning three choruses of the 32-bar AA' form at a brisk 305 BPM with a swing feel in E♭, the solo runs approximately 1:22. The album Sonny Side Up remains one of the defining documents of the jam session format in jazz, and this track exemplifies the joy and intensity that erupts when great improvisers share a stage. Rollins plays the entire solo without rhythm section accompaniment other than quick hits every 2 bars to hint at the form and harmony. 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.