Airegin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Airegin is a jazz standard composed by Sonny Rollins in 1954. It was first recorded by the Miles Davis Quintet with Rollins on saxophone, and recorded again by Miles' Quintet in 1956 on their album Cookin'. Also performed by Wes Montgomery. A version with lyrics appeared on the 1985 Manhattan Transfer album Vocalese. It was also covered by Hubert Laws, featuring legendary session drummer Steve Gadd playing a very fast samba pattern behind Laws' piccolo. Maynard Ferguson recorded a version where he played an overdubbed three-way solo with himself on his 1964 album "Color Him Wild".

Its name is Nigeria spelled backwards.

It is considered a challenging number due to its fast tempo and complex changes.