Doxy

Composed by Sonny Rollins during his institutionalization for substance abuse recovery, "Doxy" stands as one of the tenor saxophonist's most enduring contributions to the jazz canon. First recorded on June 29, 1954, at Van Gelder Studios in Hackensack with Miles Davis on trumpet, Horace Silver on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums, the tune appeared on Prestige's "Bags' Groove" alongside Rollins' other landmark compositions "Airegin" and "Oleo"—which Rollins later called "the first compositions that lasted." Built as a contrafact on Bob Carleton's 1918 novelty song "Ja-Da," "Doxy" transforms its source material with a blues-inflected progression of predominantly seventh chords. The title carries a double entendre that reflects Rollins' intellectual depth: derived from the Greek "doxa" (religious doctrine, orthodoxy) and archaic English "doxy" (a loose woman), it encompasses what Rollins described as "the sacred and the profane." The composition's significance to Rollins is further evidenced by his naming of his 2006 independent record label "Doxy Records" after this tune. Now a staple of jam sessions and jazz pedagogy, "Doxy" has been recorded extensively, including performances on AllSolos by Dexter Gordon with Kenny Drew, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown with Manuel Valera and Ben Tiberio, and Joe Magnarelli with Stephen Riley and Jay Anderson.