How to Play Sonnymoon for Two

NOTE: ALL MY EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS ARE MOVING TO THE JAZZ IMPROV INSTITUTE at https://www.jazzimprov.net/ . This blog post will be retired.

The great Sonny Rollins wrote Sonnymoon for Two which was released in 1957. Since then, it has become a jazz standard and was recorded many times. You will hear him play this on his live Village Vanguard album as well as the 2005 release of The Freelance Years, among other albums and collaborations. Below is a recording from the Freelance Years album.

This website his several resources for you on how to play this tune.

First and foremost, I encourage you to learn the melody from the recording. You can use a real book, but sometimes the chords are wrong, so I advise to use the recording first.

Once you’ve learned the melody and play along, I would advise you to start learning the chords.

After learning the chords, I would advise to learn the piano voicings.

Another way to help internalize the chords is to learn the bass line. Below you will find bass line resources for all instruments.

Once you have internalized the chords and you can play the bass line, practice the two note voicings on the piano with the recording. Listen to the pianists comping for ideas about rhythm.

Hope this is helpful!