Melissa Aldana
Tenor Sax Solo on
You Already Know

About

Melissa Aldana's tenor saxophone solo on Emmet Cohen's You Already Know is the fourth of nine solos in this WBGO broadcast concert. She takes three choruses of the 40-bar AABC form at 273 BPM, the tempo having pushed slightly from the piano solo that precedes her. The fast swing setting demands technical precision and quick melodic thinking, and Aldana responds with fluid, commanding lines that navigate the extended form with structural clarity. Her solo follows Cohen's piano and precedes Russell Hall's bass, maintaining the high energy level that this original composition demands.

Melissa Aldana was 32 to 33 years old at the time.