A 2017 live performance of Jerome Kern's The Way You Look Tonight by the SIJ Trio at Mezzrow in New York City. Featuring Julieta Eugenio on tenor saxophone, Sarah Slonim on piano, and Inbar Paz on bass, this reading takes the Kern classic at a fast 272 BPM in F. The 64-bar AABA form at this tempo means each chorus covers substantial ground, and both Eugenio and Slonim take quarter-chorus solos, brief but concentrated statements. The brisk tempo transforms this romantic ballad standard into a high-energy swing vehicle, a treatment with precedent in recordings by Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum. The short solo lengths at this speed still encompass a significant amount of musical content given the extended form. This performance captures the SIJ Trio in their regular engagement at Mezzrow, demonstrating their comfort with uptempo playing in the Greenwich Village club's acoustically warm, intimate setting.
