Oleo is a hard bop jazz tune written in 1954 by Sonny Rollins. It is a contrafact based on the chord changes of George Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm, so its melody rides on rhythm changes and became a standard in the bebop and hard bop repertoires. The piece was first recorded in June 1954 by Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins for the Prestige album Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins, with Horace Silver on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. Since then it has been recorded by many greats, including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans, and remains a staple of jazz performance.
Key facts:
- Composer and year: Sonny Rollins, 1954
- Original recording and album: Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins, Prestige, June 1954
- Genre and form: hard bop and bebop; based on Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm rhythm changes
- Notable later versions: 1956 Relaxin' with Coltrane; various Miles Davis and Bill Evans recordings
- Origin of the title: reportedly named after oleomargarine, a cheap butter substitute of the era
