After the marathon Straight, No Chaser, the quartet cools down with Herbie Hancock's blues composition at a relaxed 110 BPM — the only non-Monk composition in the tribute. The inclusion is fitting given Hancock's deep connection to Monk's music and the fact that Hancock recorded Driftin' on his 1962 Blue Note debut Takin' Off. Three soloists take evenly distributed two-chorus statements: Feifke leads on piano, followed by Lefkowitz-Brown on tenor saxophone, then Chmielinski on acoustic bass. The symmetrical solo structure and moderate tempo make this the most contained performance in the set, a deliberate palate cleanser after the fifty-five-chorus blowout that preceded it. At just over ten minutes, it provides a bridge between the high-energy second half and the closing number. The mellow swing feel and even-handed solo distribution give each member a final moment of focused expression before the set closes with I Mean You.
