The inaugural episode of Emmet Cohen's Quarantine Jams series, recorded in 2020 during the early months of the pandemic lockdown. This performance features vocalist Veronica Swift joining Cohen's trio for Cole Porter's What Is This Thing Called Love in the key of C at 178 BPM with a swing feel. Swift delivers a two-chorus vocal improvisation over the 32-bar AABA form, demonstrating the scat singing and rhythmic agility that have defined her reputation as one of her generation's most accomplished jazz vocalists. Cohen follows with a one-chorus piano solo. The Quarantine Jams series began as an improvised response to the shutdown of live performance venues, bringing together musicians for informal sessions that were streamed to audiences in real time. This first installment established the format of pairing Cohen's trio with a rotating cast of guest artists, a concept that would eventually evolve into the Live From Emmet's Place concert series. The performance captures the immediacy and spontaneity of musicians reconnecting during an unprecedented disruption to the jazz world.
