Gooey Butter Cake is an original composition by trumpeter and composer Jun Iida, written as a tribute to St. Louis, the city where his musical journey began. Named after the iconic regional dessert, the piece captures both the literal sweetness of the confection and the warmth of Iida's personal connection to the city. The composition is a straight-ahead, upbeat swing tune characterized by an inviting trumpet melody that establishes an immediately accessible and celebratory mood. The arrangement features New Orleans-flavored harmonic coloring, particularly evident in the piano accompaniment, and prioritizes clear melodic exposition and rhythmic propulsion over complex structural innovation. Iida strategically placed the tune as the opening track on his debut album Evergreen, released on OA2 Records in January 2024, positioning it as an autobiographical anchor for the album's narrative arc. The recording was captured at Tritone Recording in Los Angeles in November 2022 and features Josh Nelson on piano delivering a solo with New Orleans inflections, Masami Kuroki on electric guitar, Jonathan Richards on bass with an adventurous bass line, and Xavier Lecouturier on drums. Gooey Butter Cake is one of six original compositions on the ten-track album, and critics have noted that Iida's trumpet tone on the piece evokes classic jazz trumpet traditions, drawing comparisons to Chet Baker's soft sound and storytelling approach to improvisation.
