Dizzy Gillespie's "The Champ" receives a blistering uptempo treatment at nearly 280 BPM, making it one of the fastest performances on the album. This 12-bar blues in B-flat is a bebop blowing vehicle that Gillespie originally recorded in 1951, and Morgan's version retains the original's competitive, high-energy spirit. Morgan leads the charge with a commanding five-chorus alto saxophone solo, his longest statement on the track, weaving rapid bebop lines through the blues changes with the kind of virtuosic fluency that first drew comparisons to Charlie Parker. Conte Candoli follows with three intense choruses on trumpet, rising to the challenge of the extreme tempo with clean articulation and logical phrase construction. Wardell Gray delivers three choruses of tenor saxophone, his bigger, darker tone providing a welcome textural shift amid the bright-toned alto and trumpet. Howard Roberts takes three choruses on electric guitar, navigating the fast tempo with the precision that made him a sought-after player in the Los Angeles scene. Carl Perkins closes the solo section with three piano choruses, his percussive attack and unorthodox left-hand technique well suited to the driving tempo. The cumulative effect of five soloists at this velocity creates a thrilling sense of sustained intensity, capturing the competitive spirit of the 1950s Los Angeles bebop scene.
