The second tune maintains the uptempo swing with Sonny Rollins's composition at 208 BPM over an unusual 36-bar ABAC form. Sheppard takes four choruses on tenor saxophone and Robaire follows with two on acoustic bass. The longer form gives each chorus more harmonic territory to navigate, and the seven-minute performance keeps the focused, two-soloist format established on the opener. Rollins first recorded Airegin — 'Nigeria' spelled backward — in 1954 with Miles Davis for the Prestige label, and its driving melody and sophisticated chord changes made it an instant standard. Playing a Rollins composition on tenor saxophone inevitably invites comparison, and the trio format echoes the pianoless groups that Rollins himself favored during his most celebrated period. The tune's 36-bar length sets it apart from the 32-bar standards that dominate the rest of the program, providing a structural contrast within the first two numbers.
