Harold Arlen's "Get Happy" is taken at a blazing 292 BPM, making it the fastest track on the album and a showcase for Frank Morgan's formidable technical command. Set in F major with a 32-bar ABCA form, the performance is notable for being essentially a feature for Morgan alone, who takes four full choruses of alto saxophone with no other soloists. This extended solo format allows Morgan to develop his ideas across a sustained arc, building intensity and complexity as he moves through the choruses. At this extreme tempo, his bebop lines maintain their clarity and rhythmic precision, demonstrating the kind of virtuosity that made him one of the most promising young alto saxophonists of the early 1950s. The ABCA form, with its contrasting sections, provides structural variety that Morgan exploits to shape his solo, using the different harmonic environments to shift his melodic approach. The rhythm section drives relentlessly beneath him, creating a sense of exhilarating forward motion. The choice to feature Morgan as the sole soloist on this track suggests a deliberate effort to showcase his abilities in the most demanding setting possible, and he delivers a performance that fully justifies the spotlight. It stands as one of the album's most compelling arguments for Morgan's place among the elite bebop alto saxophonists of his generation.
