Lee Konitz: Back to Basics

seraph · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2003 3:47 pm Post subject: Lee Konitz: Back to Basics

In Japan, where tradition is revered, and where a great potter or shakuhachi master is designated a "National Living Treasure," Lee Konitz would certainly be a prime candidate for such an honor. Konitz is a master of the art of jazz improvisation. The alto saxophonist on Miles Davis' historic Birth Of The Cool sessions, both sideman and leader in an extraordinarily wide range of contexts, Konitz is a musician of unshakable integrity who has continued to develop and refine his craft. he has also (for the last 40 years) been teaching jazz keeping alive a tradition that for Lee began during his own studies with the legendary pianist, saxophonist, composer, and theoretician Lennie Tristano.
Lee Konitz 10-Step Method

seraph · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2003 4:03 pm Post subject:

jbenzola · Joined: Dec 11, 2003 Posts: 77 Location: NY

Thanks for posting this! Lee Konitz is one of the giants of modern music. An incredible musician with one of the most beatufiul tones on the alto that I have ever heard. He was a favorite of Miles and Mingus and obviously Tristano. One of my favorite Konitz recordings is a live date that he did with Warren Marsh with Bill Evans on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Paul Motian on drums. Evans was so in awe of Konitz on this date that he would not play behind him when he was soloing! My favorite Konitz recordings are the trio date with Elvin Jones and drums and a later date from the 1970's, Satori with Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, and Martial Solal...a great date! BTW...do you like the work of George Russell???

seraph · Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2004 11:40 am Post subject:

I remember Satori: it was released by Steeplechase and recorded live in Nice, France. Very inspiring album!
I have seen Konitz many times, once at the Umbria Jazz Festival with Bill Evans, Marc Johnson and Philly Jo Jones, I guess it was 1976. Another time in duo with Gil Evans in Florence, one more time at the Bergamo Jazz Festival with Warne Marsh, Peter Ind and a drummer, I guess it was 1973 (the concert included a set by Sam Rivers, do you remember his album "Streams"?). me and other 3 friends went there by train from Florence. it took us 4 or 5 hours to get there, at the end of the concert we found out that there was no train leaving Bergamo before 6 am. I spent the night waiting for the train trying to sleep inside a telephone booth but it was winter and it was f***ing cold. the concert was great but I would not do something like that for anybody in the world.
George Russell? Great. I studied his Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization.
I remember Ezz-thetic, The Stratuseekers, Jazz in the Space Age.
That period with the great Eric Dolphy on sax. What about him Question

jbenzola · Joined: Dec 11, 2003 Posts: 77 Location: NY

Sam Rivers is a monster! I have Streams as well as some smaller emsemble work. Saw him live in 1978 with Dave Holland and Thurman Barker...fantastic! As for Eric Dolphy..he has been a tremendous influence on me. Out To Lucnh...one of the greatest albums ever recorded! Tony Williams playing on that is one of the greatest instrumental performances of all times...simply amazing. My teacher Ken McIntyre(who I also played with in his ensemble) recorded with Dolphy in 1961. They were very good friends. One of the greatest bands of all times was the band that Trane took to the Village Vanguard in 1961 which included Dolphy...how can you get a better band than Trane, Dolphy, Tyner, Garrison, and Jones.....impossible! Those Village Vanguard recordings are simply some of the greatest music recorded in the past century, bar none!

seraph · Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2004 4:03 am Post subject:

Eric Dolphy Discography
Some of his albums I have, I had or listened to:
Chico Hamilton Quintet
Eric Dolphy Quintet(Outward Bound, Out to Lunch! an absolute masterpiece)
Charles Mingus Nonet(Pre-Bird)
Oliver Nelson Sextet(Screamin' the Blues,Images)
Ken McIntyre Quintet(Fire Waltz)
Eric Dolphy Quartet( Out There)
The Latin Jazz Quintet with Eric Dolphy(Caribe)
John Lewis Nonet with Herb Pomeroy (tp) with whom I studied arranging at Berklee (great teacher)
Charles Mingus Tentet(Reincarnation of a Love Bird)
John Lewis - Gunther Schuller Orchestra plus the Contemporary Strings Quartet(Jazz Abstractions)
Ornette Coleman Octet( Free Jazz)
Eric Dolphy - Booker Little Quintet( Far Cry!)
Abbey Lincoln with Max Roach Tentet(Straight Ahead)
Oliver Nelson Septet( The Blues and the Abstract Truth) one of my favorite albums
Booker Little Sextet(Out Front)
George Russell Sextet(Ezz-thetics)
John Coltrane Orchestra(Africa/Brass)
John Coltrane Septet(Ole Coltrane)
Ron Carter Quintet(Where?)
Mal Waldron Sextet(The Quest)
Eric Dolphy - Booker Little Quintet(The Great Concert of Eric Dolphy)
Charles Mingus Orchestra(Town Hall Concert)
Freddie Hubbard Orchestra(The Body and the Soul) I love it!
Max Roach Nonet( Percussion, Bitter Sweet)
Eric Dolphy - Richard Davis Duo(Iron Man)
Eric Dolphy Nonet(Conversations)
Gil Evans Orchestra(The Individualism of Gil Evans)
John Lewis Sextet(The Sextet of Orchestra U.S.A.)
Andrew Hill Sextet(Point of Departure)
Charles Mingus Sextet(The Great Concert of Charles Mingus)
Eric Dolphy Quartet(Last Date)
the beautiful albums are so many that it's impossible to say which one is the best. the truth is that many of them still give me goosebumps (after all these years)

seraph · Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2004 6:15 am Post subject:

look at Dolphy's discography:
go to:
Atlantic Studios, NYC, December 20, 1960 recording with John Lewis - Gunther Schuller Orchestra plus the Contemporary Strings Quartet
the day after:
Atlantic Studios, NYC, December 21, 1960 recording with Ornette Coleman Octet-Free Jazz
the same day:
VGS, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, December 21, 1960 recording with Eric Dolphy - Booker Little Quintet
AMAZING Exclamation

7/4 · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 6:07 pm Post subject:

Dolphy: aside from the Coltrane material, I've been listening to the Prestige box- amazing!

Tristano/Konitz: I'd never really heard these guys until last month. I was driving into NYC and there was a program featuring them on WKCR (Columbia U.). Amazing sh*t.

And it's amazing that I never heard this 'til now. But there were many years where I just wasn't listening to jazz. And...now I get hung up listening to what I own and don't get any exposure to other stuff!