Solar

The story behind

When you dive into Solar, you encounter a piece that, although often perceived as a blues, has a harmonic structure that invites exploration. What’s interesting is that its origins trace back to a composition called Sonny, created by Chuck Wayne around 1946, when he was part of Woody Herman’s band. The melody we now know as Solar is the same one Wayne played at the time, though Miles Davis, who recorded and registered it with some modifications, changed the initial chord from major to minor. The first time we heard this version by Davis was on his album Miles Davis Quintet in 1954, and it also appeared in Walkin'.