Evergreen is an original composition by Japanese-born trumpeter and composer Jun Iida, written as the title track for his debut album as a leader. The piece reflects Iida's musical journey across Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York, serving as a memorial to his formative years developing a voice that blends his Japanese heritage with fluent jazz stylings. Characterized by a warm, spacious quality and a sublime sense of melody, the composition features soaring, resonant lines that allow for elegant melodic development. The tune showcases Iida's gift for crafting inviting themes with a haunting, open character, moving between introspective and swinging moods within a texturally varied contemporary framework. The original recording appears on Jun Iida's Evergreen album on Origin Records, released in 2024, with sessions recorded in November 2022. That version features Aubrey Johnson's wordless vocals enhancing the melodic lines alongside Masami Kuroki on guitar, Josh Nelson on piano and Rhodes, Jonathan Richards on bass, and Xavier Lecouturier on drums. The album earned positive reviews for its intriguing portraits and balance of multi-cultural jazz flavors. As a recent composition, Evergreen remains closely associated with Iida's own performances and has not yet entered the broader repertoire of widely covered jazz tunes.
