This recording of "All of You" comes from Stephen Riley's 2007 album Once Upon a Dream. Written by Cole Porter for the 1955 musical Silk Stockings, the song entered the jazz repertoire through Miles Davis's celebrated 1956 recording with his first great quintet, and it has remained a favorite among improvisers ever since. Riley performs the tune over its 32-bar AA' form in E-flat at a relaxed medium tempo of 111 BPM, taking two choruses of lyrical tenor saxophone improvisation. The moderate pace allows him to develop ideas with patience, spinning out the kind of long, sinuous melodic lines that characterize his Lester Young-influenced style. Each phrase seems to breathe naturally, rising and falling with an organic sense of narrative. As the sole soloist on the track, Riley has full command of the performance, shaping his two choruses into a coherent musical statement that rewards attentive listening. Porter's sophisticated harmonic framework provides a rich foundation for improvisation, and Riley navigates the changes with the fluency of a player deeply versed in the Great American Songbook. The result is a warm, swinging performance that highlights both the beauty of Porter's composition and Riley's gift for thoughtful, melodically driven jazz.
