Milt Jackson's "Milt's Tune" is a rhythm changes contrafact based on "I Got Rhythm" in B-flat major, taken at a brisk 229 BPM with a swinging feel. The 32-bar AABA form over rhythm changes is one of bebop's foundational structures, and this performance features all five soloists in succession, making it one of the album's most expansive tracks. Morgan opens with two choruses on alto saxophone, his bebop fluency on full display as he navigates the familiar changes with inventive melodic ideas. Conte Candoli follows with a single chorus on trumpet, his lines clean and well-constructed at the fast tempo. Wardell Gray contributes a chorus on tenor saxophone, his robust, full-bodied tone and rhythmic assertiveness adding weight to the proceedings. Howard Roberts takes a chorus on electric guitar, demonstrating his facility with the bebop vocabulary on an instrument more commonly associated with other jazz idioms. Carl Perkins closes the solo section with a piano chorus, his idiosyncratic approach to the keyboard bringing a fresh perspective to the well-worn harmonic territory. The decision to give each player a turn reflects the jam session spirit that permeates these recordings, and the rhythm changes format provides a common ground where all five voices can speak with equal authority. Jackson's tune, associated with his work in the Modern Jazz Quartet, receives an energetic West Coast treatment here.
