"Sneakyoso" - Frank Rosolino

“Sneakyoso” (PDF) from the Frank Rosolino album, Free For All

In contrast to the album’s titular blues original, trombonist Frank Rosolio’s 1958 recording of his composition, “Sneakyoso,” captures the complexities of bebop as developed by saxophonist John Coltrane and pianist Thelonoius Monk in the late-1950s, such as the use of whole-tone melodies, altered chords, tritone substitutions, minor-third relations, and parallel harmonic motion as an evolution of the blues and, perhaps, a response to saxophonist Charlie Parker’s early death or Monk’s own systemic exile from New York City. The tune, itself, even breaks the mold of the standard 32-bar song form to accommodate its angular phrasing.

By providing a vehicle of expression for Rosolino’s musical brilliance and mischievous character, the blues and bebop found a growing audience on the stage and screen during the golden age of television, however the whitewashing of post-war America likely led to the deconstruction of melody, the sonic explorations, and the counterculture philosophy that eventually pushed the trombonist to the side of advancements in jazz history. It remains unclear as to what eventually led to Rosolino’s own mental breakdown and tragic demise, but the word “maniacal” seems like an appropriate description of both his creative and personal output as a bebop trombonist.

Recommended reading: “The Joker: Frank Rosolino,” Meet Me At Jim & Andy’s by Gene Lees. Published by Oxford University Press.