The fourth installment of Emmet Cohen's 2020 Quarantine Jams series, featuring the veteran trombonist Wycliffe Gordon on Jimmy McHugh's On the Sunny Side of the Street. Performed in C at a relaxed 102 BPM with swing feel, the classic 32-bar AABA form provides a familiar framework. Gordon delivers a one-chorus trombone solo, followed by Cohen's half-chorus piano solo. Gordon, a former member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet and Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, is widely regarded as one of the most important jazz trombonists of his generation, known for his command of the full history of jazz trombone from tailgate style through modern jazz. The relaxed tempo and sunny disposition of this tune suit Gordon's ebullient musical personality. The modest solo lengths reflect the informal, tune-focused nature of the Quarantine Jams format, where the emphasis was on musical fellowship and connection rather than extended virtuosic display. This episode pairs one of the most established voices in contemporary jazz with Cohen's supportive pianism.
