"Evergreen" is the title track from Jun Iida's 2023 debut album, an original composition in C with a straight-eighth feel at approximately 135 BPM. The piece serves as a statement of artistic identity, its title suggesting enduring artistic values and timeless musical expression. The recording features three solos that span the ensemble: guitarist Masami Kuroki opens with an extended electric guitar improvisation that navigates the tune's harmonic landscape with a warm, articulate tone, followed by Iida's flugelhorn solo, whose darker, rounder timbre contrasts with the brighter trumpet sound heard elsewhere on the album. The choice of flugelhorn lends an intimate, lyrical quality to Iida's improvisation as he explores the composition's melodic possibilities. Drummer Xavier Lecouturier closes the solo section with an energetic drum feature near the end of the track, his playing at a slightly elevated 139 BPM injecting rhythmic vitality into the performance's final stretch. The three-solo structure gives the track a satisfying narrative arc, moving from guitar to brass to percussion in a progression that showcases the group's collective range. As the album's centerpiece, the title track encapsulates the blend of composed sophistication and improvisational freedom that defines Iida's approach, drawing on contemporary jazz sensibilities while maintaining an emphasis on melodic accessibility and ensemble interplay.
