This recording of Stevie Wonder's "All In Love Is Fair" comes from Chad Lefkowitz-Brown's Quartet Sessions, released in 2020. The Wonder ballad is given a jazz treatment with a rock feel at a moderate tempo of approximately 75 BPM in the key of D-flat minor, using a 24-bar form. Lefkowitz-Brown is the sole soloist, delivering three full choruses on tenor saxophone for an extended improvisation that spans over three and a half minutes. The 24-bar form is an uncommon structure that keeps the harmonic progression feeling fresh, as it does not align with the more typical 12-, 16-, or 32-bar forms found in most jazz standards. The rock feel grounds the performance in a contemporary rhythmic sensibility, bridging the worlds of pop songwriting and jazz improvisation. Lefkowitz-Brown brings a vocal quality to his saxophone tone that pays homage to Wonder's original, while his harmonic choices and improvisational development are firmly rooted in the jazz tradition. The D-flat minor tonality lends a dark, introspective character to the performance, and the extended solo format allows Lefkowitz-Brown to take the listener on a complete emotional journey from opening statement through climax and resolution.
