Blow, Brother Konitz, BLOW!

[garthsj]

When Gerry Mulligan did his "Rebirth Of The Cool" album (GRP GRD-9679) in 1992, Lee Konitz was unavailable to reprise his work, and his place was taken by Phil Woods. This created an entirely new sound to the music, and while not bad, it was different, indicating what a major contribution Konitz had made to the original.

BTW, Lee was 19-20 when he made those albums with Thornhill; and don't forget that many of those great Thornhill arrangements were done by Gil Evans.

[John Tapscott]

I just ordered "One Day With Lee"- a 2002 Konitz date with the Mark Masters Jazz Ensemble on Capri. Really looking forward to it. To me, Lee always sounds great as soloist with a larger ensemble. I give a big to that Metropole CD, the Nonet recordings, and the Kenton stuff (check out Kenton's "New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm") . I love Lee's small group playing too, esp. on the T/K/M Mosaic.

[garthsj]

I just ordered "One Day With Lee"- a  2002 Konitz date with the Mark Masters Jazz Ensemble on Capri. Really looking forward to it. To me, Lee always sounds great as soloist with a larger ensemble. I give a big  to that Metropole CD,  the Nonet recordings, and the Kenton stuff (check out Kenton's "New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm") .  I love Lee's small group playing too, esp. on the T/K/M Mosaic.

The Lee Konitz Nonet material is wonderful .... a little rough in places, but it captures that "loose," flowing improvisational quality of the Tristanoites perfectly. There were four albums made, and there is one, on Roulette, that is yet to be reissued on CD. What are the chances of that? On the Chiaruscuro reissue, Konitz has added fairly lengthy "talk piece" about the history of the Nonets; he claims that in its brief two year history, about 90 different musicians went through its various chairs!

I agree that Konitz does well with large groups ... there is an album on Verve (MGV 8362) "You and Lee" accompanied by a brass group with Bill Evans on piano, and Jimmy Giuffre on bari, and also the arranger which is just wonderful. I have NO idea why this album was noy included in the Konitz and Giuffre package that Verve put together, rather than William Russo's "An Image" ... so this great album sits out there as an orphan now, waiting for Verve to decide what to do with it!

Finally, there is this album, with a string section, which I also highly recommend....

Edited May 29, 2004 by garthsj

[Clunky]

Anyone into Konitz's output on Philology, I recenty picked up ....

L'Age Mur with Rava

Inside Cole Porter

12 Gershwin in 12 keys

any others recommended?

Edited October 13, 2008 by Clunky

[stevebop]

Lee Konitz has just been given The National Endowment for The Arts Jazz Masters award.

Others include Jimmy Cobb, Snooky Young, George Benson, Toots Thielemans nd Rudy van Gelder.

Congratulations Mr. Konitz and all the others.

[jostber]

The "Wow" sessions with Lennie Tristano in 1949, as well as "Motion" are my Konitz favourites. Fantastic playing by all involved.

An interesting interview is here:

http://www.sawf.org/newedit/edit09182000/musicarts.asp

[paul secor]

Lee Konitz has just been given The National Endowment for The Arts Jazz Masters award.

Others include Jimmy Cobb, Snooky Young, George Benson, Toots Thielemans nd Rudy van Gelder.

Congratulations Mr. Konitz and all the others.

Good to see that Mr. Benson received the award. He probably really needs the $.

[Quasimado]

Somebody else mentioned the Kenton Band Live in Munich 1953, recorded September 16, and which was followed by the Paris concert on September 18. These 2 double CDs (Munich - Sounds of Yester Year, and Paris - Jasmine), display, to my mind, the best band Kenton ever had, and include incredible Lee and probably the best Zoot with big band you will ever hear -can you imagine a saxophone section of Lee Konitz, Davy Schildkraut, Zoot Sims and Bill Holman? (Tony Ferina is on baritone)... The drummer is Stan Levy, and program is a well put together selection of classic Kenton/ Rugolo with the more linear arrangements of Mulligan, Holman and Rogers.

Konitz successfully adapted his unique conception to the big band format – meaning he was playing just as brilliantly, but harder than he had ever played... There is not much of this period of Lee on disc - its up there with the best of Bird, Lester and Warne Marsh. (The recorded sound, for those who care, is not too bad).

Q.

[Cliff Englewood]

Somebody else mentioned the Kenton Band Live in Munich 1953, recorded September 16, and which was followed by the Paris concert on September 18. These 2 double CDs (Munich - Sounds of Yester Year, and Paris - Jasmine), display, to my mind, the best band Kenton ever had, and include incredible Lee and probably the best Zoot with big band you will ever hear -can you imagine a saxophone section of Lee Konitz, Davy Schildkraut, Zoot Sims and Bill Holman? (Tony Ferina is on baritone)... The drummer is Stan Levy, and program is a well put together selection of classic Kenton/ Rugolo with the more linear arrangements of Mulligan, Holman and Rogers.

Konitz successfully adapted his unique conception to the big band format – meaning he was playing just as brilliantly, but harder than he had ever played... There is not much of this period of Lee on disc - its up there with the best of Bird, Lester and Warne Marsh. (The recorded sound, for those who care, is not too bad).

Q.

Now that's a reed section I would like to hear, are these recordings easy to find?

[AllenLowe]

Triglia told me that Kenton did not particularly like Schildkraut's playing and so gave Konitz all the solos when both were in the band -

[Quasimado]

Somebody else mentioned the Kenton Band Live in Munich 1953, recorded September 16, and which was followed by the Paris concert on September 18. These 2 double CDs (Munich - Sounds of Yester Year, and Paris - Jasmine), display, to my mind, the best band Kenton ever had, and include incredible Lee and probably the best Zoot with big band you will ever hear -can you imagine a saxophone section of Lee Konitz, Davy Schildkraut, Zoot Sims and Bill Holman? Q.

Now that's a reed section I would like to hear, are these recordings easy to find?

Currently available through Worlds Records.

Q

[Quasimado]

Triglia told me that Kenton did not particularly like Schildkraut's playing and so gave Konitz all the solos when both were in the band -

Schildkraut has 2 solos in the second half of both the Munich and Paris concerts... but certainly he is not featured like Konitz is.

Q

[Big Beat Steve]

Somebody else mentioned the Kenton Band Live in Munich 1953, recorded September 16, and which was followed by the Paris concert on September 18. These 2 double CDs (Munich - Sounds of Yester Year, and Paris - Jasmine), display, to my mind, the best band Kenton ever had, and include incredible Lee and probably the best Zoot with big band you will ever hear -can you imagine a saxophone section of Lee Konitz, Davy Schildkraut, Zoot Sims and Bill Holman? Q.

Now that's a reed section I would like to hear, are these recordings easy to find?

Currently available through Worlds Records.

Q

This EUropean tour was a LENGHTY one. There's a lot of vinyl from the concerts of that tour around, e.g. the Berlin concert (incuding on the First Heard label from Britain and some other British vinyl label as well as on a twofer from Stan's own Creative World label). Should be available fairly cheaply in the usual secondhand bins (wherever those still exist, of course ).

The music from that tour is particularly interesting to hear if you read the writeups in the period jazz mags at the same time. Highly enlightening! :D

[Quasimado]

This EUropean tour was a LENGHTY one. There's a lot of vinyl from the concerts of that tour around, e.g. the Berlin concert (incuding on the First Heard label from Britain and some other British vinyl label as well as on a twofer from Stan's own Creative World label). Should be available fairly cheaply in the usual secondhand bins (wherever those still exist, of course ).

The music from that tour is particularly interesting to hear if you read the writeups in the period jazz mags at the same time. Highly enlightening! :D

I can imagine - many of the critics of the time were deaf - others carried imaginary baggage ... the music speaks for itself.

Q

[BillF]

Somebody else mentioned the Kenton Band Live in Munich 1953, recorded September 16, and which was followed by the Paris concert on September 18. These 2 double CDs (Munich - Sounds of Yester Year, and Paris - Jasmine), display, to my mind, the best band Kenton ever had, and include incredible Lee and probably the best Zoot with big band you will ever hear -can you imagine a saxophone section of Lee Konitz, Davy Schildkraut, Zoot Sims and Bill Holman? (Tony Ferina is on baritone)... The drummer is Stan Levy, and program is a well put together selection of classic Kenton/ Rugolo with the more linear arrangements of Mulligan, Holman and Rogers.

Konitz successfully adapted his unique conception to the big band format – meaning he was playing just as brilliantly, but harder than he had ever played... There is not much of this period of Lee on disc - its up there with the best of Bird, Lester and Warne Marsh. (The recorded sound, for those who care, is not too bad).

Q.

Konitz was so good with the Kenton band in 1953. Hear him on Bill Russo's "My Lady" from Kenton's New Concepts, for example.

[Larry Kart]

The Dragon Konitz LP "Sax of a Kind," mostly concert performances with Swedes from 1951, includes a 1953 Kenton aircheck of "Lover Man" (from a Swedish concert) where Lee's solo is an out-of-body experience -- for Lee I suspect as well as for the listener. In fact, assuming I'm right about the "for Lee" part, I suspect that it's such experiences (it couldn't have been the only one) that led to the somewhat more rational or rational-ized playing of Lee's next phase. To be so erruptively inspired that one might have felt afterwards something like "Was that me?" would not have been something that Lee, I would guess, was prepared to accept for long. The "me" in his playing, I think, pretty much needs to be "him" to him.

[Quasimado]

The Dragon Konitz LP "Sax of a Kind," mostly concert performances with Swedes from 1951, includes a 1953 Kenton aircheck of "Lover Man" (from a Swedish concert) where Lee's solo is an out-of-body experience -- for Lee I suspect as well as for the listener. In fact, assuming I'm right about the "for Lee" part, I suspect that it's such experiences (it couldn't have been the only one) that led to the somewhat more rational or rational-ized playing of Lee's next phase. To be so erruptively inspired that one might have felt afterwards something like "Was that me?" would not have been something that Lee, I would guess, was prepared to accept for long. The "me" in his playing, I think, pretty much needs to be "him" to him.

Thanks for reminding me of that LP, Larry. It's one I lost along the way - fortunately I was able to pick one up through the mail from Jazz Record Mart last week! It's essential listening for anyone interested in Lee's early work. His playing on "All the Things" from the jam session after the concert is enthralling, and you have already mentioned his out-of-body playing on the Kenton track (his playing on the Paris and Munich concerts approximates that)...

It seems amazing, but as far as I can tell, this Dragon "Sax of a Kind" LP does not appear to have been re-issued on CD, a situation one hopes will be rectified before too long. A Kenton- Konitz collection would be nice, too - in the Hamilton book Lee mentions receiving as a gift 2 CDs somebody put together of his playing taken from the Kenton band's weekly radio shows - there is a LOT of material out there (airshots, concerts) from one of his most creative periods ...

Q

[Tom Storer]

I'm going to see Lee tomorrow night, in a duo with pianist Dan Tepfer.

Konitz is my hero.

[JSngry]

Ask him if he remembers the Rainbow Room gig w/Teo, will ya? It might be interesting to hear what he thinks/thought of Teo through the years.

[kh1958]

I'm going to see Lee tomorrow night, in a duo with pianist Dan Tepfer.

Konitz is my hero.

I saw him at Small's in October, with a trio of Italian musicians (Marco di Gennero trio)--he was playing very well.

[Tom Storer]

Sorry, Jim, I didn't get a chance to ask Konitz your question. There was a big crowd of people waiting to kiss his ring and he was looking like he just wanted to go back to the hotel and go to sleep, so I figured I'd let him off easy this time.

Had a very nice time listening to him. He doesn't have quite the chops at 81 that he did at 75, but he's still doing it. Same old standards, he steps up and sees what comes out this time. Nice piano player with him named Dan Tepfner, 20-something with movie star looks. Unannounced surprise: Ben Street came up and joined them on bass for a part of each set. Things got a bit tighter when he was playing.

I love Konitz's sense of humor:

- Towards midnight a certain number of people were apparently anxious to make it home on time, so at the end of one tune a few got up and hurried out. Konitz said, "That tune made six people leave."

- At the end of one number, just as Tepfner was finishing a pretty conclusion, someone knocked a glass on the floor, where it shattered loudly. There was mixed laughter and glares at the guilty party. Konitz said to the guilty party, "Don't be embarrassed, that was a good ending!"

- When Konitz brought up Ben Street the first time, he said, "Ben and I just finished touring Spain with Danilo Perez, playing stuff we don't know."

- To explain an unexpected second encore at the end of the last set, Konitz said, "I haven't played all my licks yet!"

[Rabshakeh]

Hi,

I have been on quite a heavy Konitz trip since he passed away last year.  I’d always enjoyed his work, but over lockdown my love of his playing has gone up to the next level.

He has a huge discography, and even after a year, I am still finding new records that I love.  But I am also aware that I am probably missing a lot.

So, other than the below, are there any “major” Konitz records that I am missing? (Major in either the objective sense ("history records this as an important/influential work") or subjective ("I, a jazz aesthete, like this record a whole lot").)

 

Birth of the Cool

Crosscurrents (Tristano)

Subconscious-Lee

At the Storyville

Plays with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet

Lee Konitz with Warne Marsh

At Harvard Square

Inside Hi-Fi

Tranquillity

Live at the Half Note

Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre

Motion

The Lee Konitz Duets

Alto Summit

European Episode

Altissimo

Jazz a Juan

Lone-Lee

The three Jazz Exchanges

Satori

Crosscurrents (Bill Evans etc.)

Ideal Scene

Star Eyes, Hamburg 1983

The New York Album

Art of the Duo

Alone Together

Edited May 18, 2021 by Rabshakeh

[HutchFan]

Rab,

Here are a few of my Konitz faves that don't appear on your list:

 

 

 

 

[JSngry]

All the Warne/Lee collabs from their 70s tours. ALL of them. But especially the Pausa.

The duets with Gil.

The Milestone box.

I pick up random Philology dates as I find them and have yet to be disappointed, but for historicaloisuty  purposes, one called From Newport to Nice is a jimdandyhumdinger.

StereoKonitz, w/Enrico Rava!

At some point, just start buying shit, just because. It'll work far more often than not.

 

[Rabshakeh]

18 minutes ago, JSngry said:

At some point, just start buying shit, just because. It'll work far more often than not.

They're weirdly hard to find in the UK! I find more Warne Marsh in shops than I do Konitz. And Konitz recorded about 6000x more albums.