"Beatrice" from the Jun Iida Trio's 2019 album Live @ Kulak's Woodshed is an extended performance of Sam Rivers's beloved composition, set in F major with a 16-bar form and a straight-eighth feel at approximately 258 BPM. The track features five guitar choruses from Masami Kuroki, six trumpet choruses from Jun Iida, and three bass choruses from Kevin McClellan. Rivers composed "Beatrice" in the 1960s, and it has since become one of the most frequently performed post-bop standards, valued for its beautiful melody and harmonically rich chord progression. The trio's drumless format gives the performance an open, airy quality that allows each musician to explore the tune's possibilities without rhythmic constraint. Kuroki's guitar solo opens with confident, flowing lines, while Iida's six-chorus trumpet statement is the performance's centerpiece, building through a wide range of dynamics and emotions. McClellan's bass solo rounds out the improvisation with melodic authority. The straight-eighth feel, rather than the more common swing treatment, gives the performance a contemporary character that suits the post-bop composition. Recorded live at Kulak's Woodshed in North Hollywood, the album captures the energy and spontaneity of a working jazz group performing in an intimate club setting.
