Cookin’ at the Continental performed by The U.S. Army Blues, feat. Christian Ertl and Elijah Lester

Prepare to feast your ears on Horace Silver’s “Cookin’ at the Continental“! You’ve met them both in earlier videos, but now it is time to watch both the winners of the 2023 Blues Solo Competition join forces with the U.S. Army Blues. Saxophonist Christian Ertl (Collegiate Division winner) and pianist Elijah Lester (High School Division winner) fold seamlessly into the team for this energetic performance. First released on Blue Note records in 1959, Horace Silver said of this piece, “We used to play that out at the Continental in Brooklyn. It’s a fast blues – a three-chorus melody actually, with the first two choruses the same, then something a little different on the third twelve, with the horns playing melody and the rhythm playing breaks.“ Considered to be one of the tunes that defined Silver’s groundbreaking “hard bop“ style, it is hard not to bop your head up and down as the themes and solos unfold. Through this annual competition, the U.S. Army Blues offers talented young musicians the chance to perform alongside the premier jazz ensemble of The United States Army, honoring the tradition of America’s unique musical art form. ► SUBSCRIBE: ► ARMY OPPORTUNITIES: Follow Pershing’s Own: Website: YouTube: Instagram: Facebook: Twitter: Discord: Flickr: #BeAllYouCanBe #USArmyBlues #CookinattheContinental