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]
"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]
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]
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[edit]
- ^ Pachet, François (February 2000). "Computer Analysis of Jazz Chord Sequences: Is Solar a Blues?" (PDF). Readings in Music and Artificial Intelligence. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-08-07. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
- ^ New Real Book Volume 1. Petalnuma, California: Sher Music. 1988.
- ^ a b c d Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York City: Oxford University Press. pp. 377–378. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
- ^ a b c Myers, Marc (July 5, 2012). "'Solar' Wasn't by Miles Davis". jazzwax.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016.
- ^ Porter, Lewis (May 31, 2023). "Miles Davis Did Not Exactly "Steal" Tunes, 1: Record Labels, Publishers, and "Solar"". Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Iverson, Ethan (July 6, 2012). "Credit Where It's Due". dothemath. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016.
- ^ Voce, Steve (August 1, 1997). "Obituary: Chuck Wayne". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ a b DeVeaux, Scott (2002), Wayne, Chuck [Jagelka, Charles], Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, retrieved August 3, 2020
- ^ a b c d Meyer, Robinson (June 9, 2010). "The Time Miles Davis Stole (or Borrowed) a Song – and How It Ended Up on His Tombstone". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ Appelbaum, Larry. "Chuck Wayne, Sonny & Solar". In the Muse: Performing Arts Blog, Library of Congress. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
