"Solar" ( or ) is a composition written by

Chuck Wayne Chuck Wayne (February 27, 1923 – July 29, 1997) was an American jazz guitarist. He came to prominence in the 1940s, and was among the earliest jazz guitarists to play in the bebop style. Wayne was a member of Woody Herman's First Herd, the f ...

and later recorded and copyrighted with small alterations by

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

. It first appeared on Davis's 1954 album ''

Miles Davis Quintet The Miles Davis Quintet was an American jazz band from 1955 to early 1969 led by Miles Davis. The quintet underwent frequent personnel changes toward its metamorphosis into a different ensemble in 1969. Most references pertain to two distinct and ...

'' and is considered a modern

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive lis ...

Chord structure

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

Recordings and popularity

The first released recording of the piece appeared on Davis's album ''

'' in 1954; and then appeared on his album ''

Walkin' ''Walkin'' (PRLP 7076) is a Miles Davis compilation album released in March 1957 by Prestige Records. The album compiles material previously released on two 10 inch LPs in 1954 (''Miles Davis All-Star Sextet'' and Side One of ''Miles Davis Quinte ...

''. It was the only time that he recorded the piece. Probably the best-known version is on pianist

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

's trio album ''

Sunday at the Village Vanguard ''Sunday at the Village Vanguard'' is a live album by jazz pianist and composer Bill Evans and his Trio consisting of Evans, bassist Scott LaFaro, and drummer Paul Motian. Released in 1961, the album is routinely ranked as one of the best live jaz ...

'' from 1961. The composition is popular with educators and learners, partly because the structure is "both rich and succinct".

Authorship

The composition was copyrighted in Davis's name in 1963. However, some musicians and others believed that it had been written by Wayne, with some making the assertion in print. Proof of the suspicions appeared later: in 2012, a

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

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. Then, it was known by the title "Sonny", after trumpeter

Sonny Berman Saul "Sonny" Berman (April 21, 1925 – January 16, 1947) was an American jazz trumpeter. Berman was born in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. He began touring at age sixteen and performed with Louis Prima, Harry James and Benny Goodman, but ...

, who also played at the session. Wayne is believed to have written "Sonny" when he was part of

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

's band in 1946. The melodies of "Sonny" and "Solar" are the same. Davis altered the opening, major chord of Wayne's composition by making it minor. Davis died in 1991; the first two measures of the composition adorn his tombstone.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solar (Composition) 1940s jazz standards Jazz compositions