This recording of Ray Noble's "Cherokee" comes from Wynton Marsalis' 1986 album Marsalis Standard Time, Vol. I. The bebop test piece is performed at a blazing swing tempo of approximately 332 BPM in the key of B-flat major, using the 64-bar AABA form. Marsalis is the sole soloist, delivering two choruses on trumpet at this fearsome tempo. Cherokee has long been a proving ground for jazz musicians, its demanding chord changes at breakneck speed separating the virtuosos from the merely talented. Marsalis meets the challenge with authority, navigating the rapidly shifting harmonies of the A sections and the notoriously difficult bridge with technical brilliance and musical logic. At 332 BPM, every note must be chosen with split-second precision, and Marsalis demonstrates the extraordinary facility that established him as the preeminent jazz trumpeter of his generation. The 64-bar form means that each chorus covers substantial harmonic ground, and sustaining creative invention across two full choruses at this tempo is a remarkable feat. This track appears alongside a second version of Cherokee on the album, underscoring Marsalis' affection for this challenging vehicle and his confidence in his ability to master it.
