Solar (composition)
"Solar" (/ˈsoʊlər/ or /soʊˈlɑːr/[citation needed]) is a composition written by Chuck Wayne and later recorded and copyrighted with small alterations by Miles Davis. It first appeared on Davis's 1954 album Miles Davis Quintet and is considered a modern jazz standard.
Chord structure
[edit | edit source]"Solar" is considered a blues[1] by most listeners, and the commonly accepted chord structure for this piece[2] is:
| CmMaj7 | % | Cm7 or Gm7 | Gm7 : C7 |
| FMaj7 | % | Fm7 | B♭7 |
| E♭Maj7 | E♭m7 : A♭7 | D♭Maj7 | Dm7♭5 : G7 |
Recordings and popularity
[edit | edit source]The first released recording of the piece appeared on Davis's album Miles Davis Quintet in 1954;[citation needed] and then appeared on his album Walkin'.[3] It was the only time that he recorded the piece.[3] Probably the best-known version is on pianist Bill Evans's trio album Sunday at the Village Vanguard from 1961.[3] The composition is popular with educators and learners, partly because the structure is "both rich and succinct".[3]
Authorship
[edit | edit source]The composition was copyrighted by Prestige Music Co. in Davis's name in 1963.[4][5] However, some musicians and others believed that it had been written by Wayne,[4][6] with some making the assertion in print.[7][8] Proof of the suspicions appeared later: in 2012, a Library of Congress archivist revealed that material donated by Wayne's wife the previous year included an unreleased recording of the guitarist playing the tune at a jam session in 1946.[9][10] Then, it was known by the title "Sonny", after trumpeter Sonny Berman, who also played at the session.[4][9] Wayne is believed to have written "Sonny" when he was part of Woody Herman's band in 1946.[8]
The melodies of "Sonny" and "Solar" are the same.[9] Davis altered the opening, major chord of Wayne's composition by making it minor.[6] Davis died in 1991; the first two measures of the composition adorn his tombstone.[9]
References
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