Cole Porter's "It's All Right with Me" receives a ferocious treatment on Introducing Johnny Griffin, recorded in 1956 for Blue Note Records. Taken at approximately 350 beats per minute, this is one of the fastest performances on an album renowned for its breakneck tempos. The tune follows an extended AABA' form of 72 bars in D minor, giving the soloists more harmonic real estate to work with at such high velocity. Griffin blazes through two full choruses to open, his tenor saxophone cutting through the changes with extraordinary technical command and unwavering swing feel. The sheer velocity of his eighth-note lines at this tempo is a stunning display of virtuosity, yet his playing never sounds like mere exercise. After pianist Wynton Kelly contributes a fleet one-chorus solo, Griffin returns for an extended closing statement of nearly two more choruses, building the intensity even further. This structure gives the performance an arc of sustained excitement. Porter's sophisticated harmony provides a challenging vehicle at any tempo, and at 350 BPM it becomes a true test of a musician's facility and knowledge. Griffin passes that test emphatically, cementing his reputation as perhaps the most technically gifted tenor saxophonist of his generation.
