Sonny Rollins
Tenor Sax Solo on
I'm An Old Cowhand

About

Sonny Rollins's tenor sax solo is the first of three solos on this recording. Spanning four choruses of the 18-bar form in E♭ at a brisk 165 BPM with a swing feel, Rollins opens his classic 1957 album Way Out West with this playful take on Johnny Mercer's cowboy standard "I'm an Old Cowhand." Recorded in Los Angeles for Contemporary Records with the pianoless trio of Ray Brown on bass and Shelly Manne on drums, the track immediately announces the album's Western theme while demonstrating Rollins's legendary wit and rhythmic ingenuity. Sonny Rollins was 26 to 27 years old at the time of this recording.

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