John Lewis
Piano Solo on
Constellation

About

John Lewis closes out the solos on piano with one chorus, following Miles Davis at approximately 328 BPM. Set within a swinging rhythmic framework, the 32-bar AABA form and the key of C, the solo tests the player's command at high velocity. The tune borrows its harmonic structure from "I Got Rhythm," a set of changes that generations of improvisers have used as a testing ground for new ideas. 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. Lewis's piano chorus brings a somewhat cooler sensibility to the high-energy proceedings.

John Lewis was 27 to 28 years old at the time.