Kiss and Run

Sonny Rollins (tenor sax), Clifford Brown (trumpet), Richie Powell (piano), George Morrow (bass) and Max Roach (drums). From the album Sonny Rollins Plus 4 (1956).

A kiss is the act of pressing one’s lips against the surface of an object or a person as an expression of affection, greeting, respect, devotion, friendship or love according to the different cultures. Some people think that kissing is instinctive, while others think that it comes from the times when mothers fed their children by chewing their food and putting it in their children mouths.

The first mentions of kissing are found in the Vedas, the sacred texts of the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain religions. They also appear in the poems of ancient Egyptian civilization and in the Bible, and Romans were very found to kissing each other.

The theme is played at medium tempo, Rollins plays the main melody and Brown the bridge. Rollins begins playing his solo with quick phrases, but controlling his discourse. Then Brown enters without hurrying, but without being left behind either. The link in his notes is expressive. Then Powell makes his solo without pauses, uninterruptedly. After that Rollins exchanges four-bar solos with Roach taking turns with Brown, and then Rollins and Brown exchange four-bar solos with each other. To finish, it comes the re-exposition of the theme.