"Along Came Betty" is a performance of Benny Golson's beloved jazz standard from the 2017 album Sweet Stuff by the Daniel Rotem and Josh Johnson Quartet. The composition's distinctive 34-bar ABCD form in A-flat, with its through-composed structure and memorable melody, has been a jazz staple since Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers first recorded it in 1958. Josh Johnson leads with two choruses of alto saxophone at 138 BPM, his solo navigating Golson's sophisticated harmony with fluid confidence. Daniel Rotem follows with two choruses of tenor saxophone at 140 BPM, bringing a slightly darker tonal palette to the same changes. Bassist Alex Boneham contributes a three-quarter chorus solo that maintains the performance's momentum. The ABCD form presents unique challenges for improvisers, as the absence of repeated sections means the soloist must constantly adjust to new harmonic environments rather than relying on familiar patterns. Both saxophonists handle this demand with aplomb, their contrasting approaches highlighting the composition's richness. The track connects the quartet to a lineage of great two-horn jazz groups, from the Jazz Messengers through Art Pepper and Chet Baker.
