Solar is a 12-bar jazz composition long credited to Miles Davis, though research has confirmed it was originally composed by guitarist Chuck Wayne in 1946 under the title Sonny, named after trumpeter Sonny Berman. Wayne wrote the piece while playing in Woody Herman's band, and a 1946 jam session acetate donated to the Library of Congress in 2011 provided definitive proof of his authorship. Davis recorded the tune on April 3, 1954, for Prestige, altering the opening chord from major to minor and transposing it to the key of C at a slower tempo than Wayne's original. Despite its 12-bar length, the composition transcends the standard blues form through a distinctive set of chord changes that blend blues simplicity with sophisticated harmonic movement, giving it a lyrical and introspective character. The tune's opening two measures are inscribed on Davis's tombstone at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. Solar became one of the most widely taught and performed pieces in modern jazz, recorded notably by the Bill Evans Trio on Sunday at the Village Vanguard in 1961. On AllSolos, the tune is represented through the original 1954 Prestige session, with transcribed solos from Davis on trumpet, David Schildkraut on alto saxophone, and Horace Silver on piano. Davis recorded Solar only once, yet it endures as one of the most essential compositions in the jazz repertoire.
