Tommy Flanagan
Piano Solo on
St. Thomas

About

Closing out the solo section, this piano improvisation spans four choruses of the 16-bar form at a brisk latin feel at 225 BPM. Thomas" remains one of the most frequently performed pieces in jazz, its irresistible rhythmic vitality and melodic charm continuing to delight audiences decades after its creation. This is the most concise solo on the recording, making every phrase count within a compact space. Coming after Sonny Rollins's tenor sax solo, this is the final improvisation before the ensemble returns to the head.

Tommy Flanagan was 25 to 26 years old at the time.