Emma Rawicz
Tenor Sax Solo on
Take The "A" Train

About

Emma Rawicz's tenor saxophone solo on Take the "A" Train is the first of three solos in this 2020 Brubeck Institute video performance. She takes three choruses of the 32-bar AABA form at a brisk 260 BPM with a swing feel, showcasing impressive technical facility and the ability to construct coherent melodic ideas at speed. At just 17 to 18 years old, Rawicz demonstrates a command of bebop vocabulary and rhythmic confidence well beyond her years, navigating Billy Strayhorn's familiar harmonic framework with fluency and invention. This uptempo performance contrasts with the Latin and ballad treatments that follow in the program, revealing the breadth of Rawicz's developing musical personality during her studies at the Brubeck Institute.

Emma Rawicz was 17 to 18 years old at the time.