Chad Lefkowitz-Brown
Tenor Sax Solo on
Isfahan

About

Chad Lefkowitz-Brown's tenor saxophone solo opens the improvisation on this 2018 Standard Sessions recording of Isfahan. He takes two unhurried choruses of the 32-bar ABAC form at a relaxed 92 BPM with a swing feel, bringing a warm, singing tone to Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington's graceful ballad melody. The original version featured Johnny Hodges on alto saxophone, and Lefkowitz-Brown captures something of that lyrical tradition on tenor, prioritizing melodic beauty and harmonic sensitivity over technical display. His phrasing responds to the tune's soaring, sentimental character, with its recurring descending major seventh arpeggio motif. He is followed by Carmen Staaf on piano and Ricky Rodriguez on acoustic bass.

Chad Lefkowitz-Brown was 28 to 29 years old at the time.