The session opens with George Gershwin's standard taken at a brisk 221 BPM, establishing the trio's energetic, no-frills approach. Sheppard delivers five choruses on tenor saxophone over the 32-bar ABAB' form, followed by Robaire's two-chorus bass solo — a format that recurs throughout the session, with the saxophonist stretching out at length and the bassist providing a more concise counterstatement. The seven-minute opener moves with urgency and purpose. Gershwin composed the piece with lyrics by Ira Gershwin for the 1930 musical Girl Crazy, and its ironic, bittersweet melody has been a jazz standard since the swing era. The trio format — saxophone, bass, and drums with no piano — strips the harmony down to its essentials, placing the full weight of the changes on Sheppard's melodic vocabulary and Robaire's supportive bass lines. The set continues with Sonny Rollins's Airegin, keeping the energy high.
