About
Duke Jordan's piano solo is the 3rd of 5 on this recording, spanning half a chorus at approximately 241 BPM. Set within a swinging rhythmic framework, the 32-bar AABA form and the key of B♭, the solo navigates the chord changes with purpose. The tune borrows its harmonic structure from "Perdido," a set of changes that generations of improvisers have used as a testing ground for new ideas. Positioned between Miles Davis and Tommy Potter, Jordan bridges the conversation between the two. The Juan Tizol composition Perdido provides a harmonically straightforward but rhythmically propulsive foundation, and Parker's bebop contrafact transforms it into a vehicle for advanced improvisation. Duke plays over the first half of the chorus.
Duke Jordan was 24 to 25 years old at the time.
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