Carl Perkins
Piano Solo on
The Champ

About

Carl Perkins's three-chorus piano solo is the fifth and final solo on this blazing-tempo blues. At 280 BPM over the 12-bar form in B-flat, Perkins's percussive attack and unorthodox left-hand technique are well suited to the driving tempo, his approach creating a rhythmic intensity that matches the energy established by the four preceding soloists. His closing statement caps a cumulative parade of five improvisers at extreme velocity, a tour de force that captures the competitive fire of the mid-1950s bebop scene.

Carl Perkins was 26 to 27 years old at the time.