ST. THOMAS | Sonny Rollins | Pre-Grade Piano

PIANO PERFORMER: William Binden (Liverpool, England, 2024)
TITLE: St. Thomas
ALBUM: Saxophone Colossus
COMPOSER: Sonny Rollins
ORIGIN: New York, United States of America (U.S.A.)
YEAR: 1956
PIANO ARRANGEMENT: James Treweek
ASSOCIATED MUSICIANS: Randy Weston, Ron Carter, Jim Hall, Dallas Original Jazz Orchestra
BOOK: Trinity College London Piano Exam Pieces Plus Exercises from 2023: Initial (Trinity College London Press)
KEY: C major
TEMPO: 120 BPM
GENRE: Jazz Standard
LEVEL: Pre-Grade / Initial Grade / Debut Grade
EXAM SYLLABUS: Trinity College London (TCL), Initial Piano, from 2023
WIKIPEDIA:
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Thomas_(song)
"St. Thomas" is among the most recognizable instrumentals in the repertoire of American jazz tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Although Rollins is commonly credited as its composer, the tune is based on the traditional Bahamian folksong "Sponger Money"[1] and the traditional English song "The Lincolnshire Poacher". By way of the folk process, "The Lincolnshire Poacher" evolved into a nursery song in the Virgin Islands, which Rollins' mother sang to him when he was a child.
"St. Thomas" became popular when it was released on Rollins's 1956 album Saxophone Colossus, though it had been recorded by Randy Weston in 1955 under the title "Fire Down There", on his Get Happy album.