The session's most extended individual solo arrives on Bill Evans's composition, with Sheppard delivering a staggering seventeen choruses on tenor saxophone over the 16-bar form at 243 BPM. Drummer Euman follows with five choruses of drum solo that pushes the tempo to 256 BPM. The twenty-two combined choruses and eight-minute runtime make this the session's most intense performance, with the compact 16-bar form cycling rapidly and demanding constant invention. Evans composed Funkallero during his mid-1950s period, and despite its name the piece is a straight-ahead swinger rather than a funk tune. The absence of a bass solo on this track — Robaire sits out the solo section — concentrates the spotlight on Sheppard's extended marathon and Euman's explosive drum response. Coming after the session's most relaxed performance on Weaver of Dreams, the dramatic escalation in tempo and intensity creates the program's sharpest contrast.
