Opening the set with an energetic swing take on Mack the Knife, the quartet shifts gears for this second tune, bringing Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol's exotic standard into a Latin feel at a brisk 196 BPM. The 64-bar AABA form provides an expansive canvas, with the performance running nearly fifteen minutes. Lefkowitz-Brown takes a focused three-chorus tenor saxophone solo, while Feifke follows with four choruses on piano, both navigating the tune's distinctive minor-key harmonies over the Latin groove. The arrangement contrasts sharply with the straight-ahead swing of the preceding tune, demonstrating the quartet's range within just two numbers. Tizol originally composed the piece around 1936 while playing valve trombone in Ellington's orchestra, drawing on his Puerto Rican heritage for the habanera-inflected rhythm that has made it one of the most recognizable melodies in jazz. This version leans into that rhythmic identity rather than the swing interpretations more common in the small-group jazz tradition, with Chmielinski and Carter anchoring a persistent Latin pattern underneath the soloists.
