About
Opening the solo section, this piano improvisation spans a half chorus of the 32-bar AABA form at a ballad tempo of 66 BPM. Mabern opens with a half-chorus of piano soloing that spans a full minute, using the deliberate pace to craft melodic lines of considerable harmonic beauty. Mabern's piano solo takes a reflective approach suited to the ballad context, with rich harmonic voicings and lyrical single-note lines. The bridge section of the AABA form introduces a contrasting harmonic area that tests the soloist's ability to navigate the shift and return smoothly to the A section material. Following this solo, Jeremy Pelt takes over on trumpet.
Harold Mabern was 77 to 78 years old at the time.
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