The alto saxophonist Lee Konitz’s inventiveness and boldness have seldom flagged. As his recent recordings demonstrate, he continues to embrace adventure and risk. If his repertoire is stocked with pieces that he revisits time and again”All the Things You Are,” “I’ll Remember April,” “Body and Soul,” “Just Friends”Konitz is the epitome of the jazz soloist who tries never to play anything the same way twice, never coasts on clichés, even his own.
As a listener who has been captivated by Konitz since first hearing his 1949 recordings with Lennie Tristano, I never fail to find him at least interesting. Often, he transmits a sense of challenge and discovery remarkable for an improvising musician in his ninth decade. I may wish that Konitz had retained the skipping lightness and whimsy that characterized his work in the 1950s and well into the ’60s. It may not be realistic, however, to think that as an artist deepened his tone and his intellect, youthful spirits would continue to dominate his work.
There is no better example from the latter part of that “early” period than Konitz’s 1961 Motion album with bassist Sonny Dallas and drummer Elvin Jones, and few better examples from the ’50s, at least on video, than this 1954 performance of “Subconscious-Lee” with his Tristano bandmate Warne Marsh. The rhythm section is pianist Billy Taylor, guitarist Mundell Lowe, bassist Eddie Safranski and drummer Ed Thigpen.
Tom Vitale of National Public Radio put together a report about Konitz that summarizes his career and his present approach. It includes comments from Konitz and bits of his current work. To hear the story, go here and click on “Listen Now.” At the end of the text are links to previous NPR pieces about Konitz.
Thanks for your piece on Lee Konitz today. His has been a life of musical integrity. Rifftides readers would enjoy:
Hamilton, Andy. Lee Konitz. Conversations on the Improviser’s Art. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2007.
(Mr. Foster’s accomplishments as an alto saxophonist include the album Make Your Own Fun, a modern classic:
http://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Own-Gary-Foster/dp/B0000006JP
DR)
I loved Lee Konitz’s stint with the Kenton band in the 50’s….the “Standards” albums and the Bill Holman things. Some years later , in an interview, Konitz was asked how he happened to join Kenton’s band. Konitz replied,” I had some bills to pay”.
Lee’s solo on “Rouge”, one of the the great Miles Davis nonet sides, recorded in 1949, has been an earworm for decades.
Thanks for posting this. Two saxophone giants–master improvisers–making the very difficult sound easy. Their playing on this clip takes me back to when I was in high school and first heard the historic recordings they made with Lennie Tristano (“Wow”) and was in awe. In college I bought the classic “Lee Konitz With Warne Marsh” album on Atlantic which included staples of their repertoire like “Background Music” and “Topsy” and solidified their place in jazz history. I continue to learn from them
over 50 years later.
Thanks for posting this. Two saxophone giants–master improvisers–they can do anything with music…