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.

Miles Davis' tombstone showing the first two measures of "Solar"

Chord structure

"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

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

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]