“Tenor Madness” is a blues credited to Sonny Rollins and recorded in 1956 on the album of the same name. The title track is famous because it’s the only studio recording featuring Rollins and John Coltrane together, trading tenor saxophone choruses. It’s also one of the friendliest blues heads for students learning to improvise.
The form is a standard 12-bar blues in Bb (concert). The basic changes are Bb7 for four bars (often with Eb7 in bar 2), Eb7 for two bars, Bb7 for two bars, then a ii-V (Cm7, F7) and a turnaround back to Bb. Jazz players usually add more chords, like a diminished passing chord in bar 6 and a I-VI-ii-V turnaround in bars 11 and 12. The head is a simple riff repeated, which makes it easy to memorize.
Improvising on a blues is all about balancing two sounds: the blues scale (Bb, Db, Eb, E, F, Ab) and the chord tones. Start with the Bb blues scale to get that earthy sound, then add chord-specific notes, like the A natural (third of F7) and the G (third of Eb7). Listen to how Rollins and Coltrane approach the same changes differently: Rollins is rhythmic and thematic, while Coltrane plays dense, fast lines.
Practice by playing the head and three choruses of solo with a blues play-along. Learn it in multiple keys, since blues jams happen in F and Bb most often. Try trading fours with a friend or a recording, just like on the original album.
Bonus tip: because the head is short, many bands play it twice at the start and twice at the end. Count the choruses during the solos so you know when to come back in, and listen for the drummer’s cues.
Common mistake: using only the blues scale and missing the chord changes. Mix both. Learn more about the composer on Sonny Rollins’s Wikipedia page, and find more jazz blues lead sheets on Minedit.