The Eternal Triangle is a jazz tune written by Sonny Stitt that appears on the 1959 Verve album Sonny Side Up, recorded December 19, 1957 in New York. The track features Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Sonny Stitt and Sonny Rollins on tenor sax, with Ray Bryant on piano, Tommy Bryant bass, and Charli Persip on drums. It is built on a Bb rhythm changes with a reharmonized bridge and runs about 14 minutes on the record. The piece is famous for its legendary tenor saxophone battle, with Stitt and Rollins trading solos and pushing each other to new heights, while Gillespie and Persip drive the rhythm. A landmark example of swing, bebop and hard bop in a jam session setting.
Key facts:
- Composer: Sonny Stitt
- Album: Sonny Side Up
- Release year: 1959
- Recording date: December 19, 1957
- Genre: Jazz, bebop, hard bop
- Notable for: famous tenor sax battle between Stitt and Rollins
- Key: Bb
- Length: around 14 minutes
