Oleo (composition) explained

"Oleo" is a hard bop composition by Sonny Rollins, written in 1954. It has become a jazz standard,^[2] and has been performed by numerous jazz artists such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans.

Form

"Oleo" is one of a number of jazz standards to be based on the same chord progression as that employed by George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm",^[3] also known as a musical contrafact.^[4] Its melody has "become one of the standard rhythm changes melodies used by jazz musicians".^[5]

Recordings

The first version of the song, featuring Rollins, was recorded by Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins in 1954 for the record Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins. With John Coltrane instead of Rollins on saxophone, it was recorded again in 1956 and released on Relaxin'. A live version from 1958, also with Coltrane, appears on two separate Davis albums: 1958 Miles, which was released in late 1958, and Jazz at the Plaza (1973). Another Davis live version from 1961 appears on In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete.

Other artists who have made recordings of the piece include Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans,^[6] Michael Brecker, Eric Dolphy, Lee Konitz, Jeff Sipe, Pat Martino, Patrice Rushen, and Larry Coryell.^{[7] [8]}

See also

• List of jazz contrafacts

External links

• "Oleo" at jazzstandards.com

Notes and References

1. Dueck . Byron . 2013 . Jazz Endings, Aesthetic Discourse, and Musical Publics . . 33 . 1 . 91–115 . 10.5406/blacmusiresej.33.1.0091 . 10.5406/blacmusiresej.33.1.0091 . 0276-3605 . 2024-10-30 . One [piece performed] was a Charlie Parker blues arrangement, the other a version of Sonny Rollins’s 'Oleo.' The chosen repertory seemed to pay homage to a particularly iconic version of jazz: bebop as an innovative African-American practice..
2. Book: Gioia, Ted . The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire . 2021 . . 978-0-19-008717-3 . 348 . en . Google Books.
3. Book: Rice . Timothy . Gateways to Understanding Music . Wilson . Dave . 2019-01-21 . . 978-1-315-17613-0 . en . In the 1940s and 1950s, musicians playing bebop and other later styles of jazz wrote songs based on the AABA refrain that became standards in their own rights, such as "Anthropology" (also known as "Thriving on a Riff") by Charlie Parker, "Oleo" by Sonny Rollins, and "Rhythm-a-ning" by Thelonious Monk.. 2024-10-30 . Google Books.
4. Book: Schiff, David . The Ellington Century . 2012 . University of California Press . 978-0-520-24587-7 . 1 . 57–58 . “Cotton Tail”: Rhythm . 10.1525/j.ctt1pphrg . 1 November 2024 . 10.1525/j.ctt1pphrg.7 . Contrafacts apply this strategy to popular tunes, but a distinction may be drawn between a contrafact that is a new popular tune, such as “Meet the Flintstones,” and jazz heads like [...] Sonny Rollins’s “Oleo,” [...] all based on 'I Got Rhythm.'. 2024-10-30.
5. Book: Hellmer . Jeffrey L. . Jazz Theory and Practice: For Performers, Arrangers and Composers . Lawn . Richard J. . . 2005 . 0-88284-722-8 . . 215–216 . en . Google Books.
6. Book: Tymoczko, Dmitri . Dmitri Tymoczko . A Geometry of Music: Harmony and Counterpoint in the Extended Common Practice . . 2011 . 978-0-19-533667-2 . New York . 378 . en . Bill Evans' 'Oleo'.
7. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r276712|pure_url=yes}} Spaces Revisited overview]. Allmusic.com.
8. Book: Yurochko, Bob . https://books.google.com/books?id=C5xPc2jwkNEC&dq=%2522Oleo%2522+jazz+-wikipedia&pg=PA146 . A Short History of Jazz . . 978-0-8304-1595-3 . Chicago, IL . 2001 . 146 . en . Hard Bop . His [Rollins'] tunes "Oleo," "Airegin," "Doxy," "St. Thomas," and "Pent-up House" are favorites of jazz musicians everywhere. . 1993 . Google Books.