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John Lewis closes out the solos on piano with two choruses, following Miles Davis at approximately 203 BPM. Set within a swinging rhythmic framework, the 12-bar Blues form and the key of F, the solo navigates the chord changes with purpose. Coming last in the solo order, Lewis has the task of building on everything that came before while steering the performance back toward the closing head. The up-tempo blues format is familiar territory for all three soloists, and each brings a personal approach: Parker's tenor solo combines bebop complexity with blues inflection, Davis plays with a growing sense of space and melodic economy, and Lewis contributes a thoughtful, less percussive piano style that foreshadowed his later work with the Modern Jazz Quartet.
John Lewis was 26 to 27 years old at the time.
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