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Solar (composition)

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Solar (composition)

"Solar" (/ˈslər/ or /sˈlɑːr/) is a musical composition attributed to Miles Davis on the studio album Walkin' (1954), considered a modern jazz standard. The tune has been played and recorded by many musicians including his former bandmates/collaborators Lee Konitz, Bill Evans, Dave Holland, Keith Jarrett or Jack DeJohnette. A controversy exists over authorship of this composition; one current consensus holds that Davis' "Solar" is essentially an earlier song, "Sonny", written by Chuck Wayne. Dutch drummer and composer Pierre Courbois composed a tune called "RALOS" on the Solar chords in 7/4.

Contents

The first two measures of this song adorn Miles Davis' tombstone in Woodlawn Cemetery.

Chord structure

Solar is considered a blues by most listeners, and the commonly accepted chord structure for this piece is:

Recordings

  • Miles Davis - Walkin' (1957)
  • Phil Woods and Gene Quill- Phil and Quill on Prestige (1957)
  • Chet Baker - Chet Baker in New York (1958)
  • The Mastersounds - Ballads & Blues (1959)
  • Bill Evans - Sunday at the Village Vanguard (1961)
  • Dave Holland - Emerald Tears (ECM, 1978), double bass solo
  • John Scofield & John Abercrombie - Solar (1984)
  • McCoy Tyner - Live at Sweet Basil (1989)
  • Charlie Haden - The Montreal Tapes: with Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Paul Motian (1989)
  • Pat Metheny - Question and Answer (1990)
  • Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock & Jack DeJohnette - Tribute (ECM, 1992)
  • Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock & Paul Motian - At the Deer Head Inn (ECM, 1994)
  • Brad Mehldau - Art of the Trio, Vol. 4 (1999)
  • Kenny Barron - Live At Bradley's (2001)
  • Edgar Meyer, Béla Fleck - Music for Two (Sony Classical, 2004)
  • Bruce Hornsby, Christian McBride & Jack DeJohnette - Camp Meeting (SonyBMG/Legacy, 2007)
  • Eliane Elias - Something for You: Eliane Elias Sings & Plays Bill Evans (Blue Note, 2008)
  • Stanley Clarke Trio - Jazz in the Garden (2009)
  • Lee Konitz, Brad Mehldau, Charlie Haden & Paul Motian - Live at Birdland (ECM, 2011)
  • Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock & Jack DeJohnette - Somewhere (ECM, 2013)
  • References

    Solar (composition) Wikipedia


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