Jeff Jarvis
Trumpet Solo on
How Long Has This Been Going On?

About

Jeff Jarvis's trumpet solo is the sole improvisation on this ballad reading of George Gershwin's "How Long Has This Been Going On?" from Alexis Cole's 2021 album Sky Blossom. Jarvis takes a half-chorus over the 32-bar AABA form in B-flat at a gentle 59 BPM, allowing the harmonic richness of Gershwin's falling chromatic lines to inform his melodic choices. The ballad tempo provides ample space for expressive phrasing and dynamic nuance, and the half-chorus length keeps the solo concise and purposeful within the track's intimate arrangement. Gershwin composed the song in 1927, crafting a work of sensual discovery built on adventurous harmonic progressions.

Jeff Jarvis was 68 to 69 years old at the time.