Lee Konitz (born October 13, 1927) is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois. Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings. Konitz was one of the few altoists to retain a distinctive sound in the 50s, when Charlie Parker exercised a tremendous influence on other players.
Konitz, like other students of pianist and theoretician Lennie Tristano, was noted for spontaneous composition of long, melodic lines with the rhythmic interest coming from odd accents, or odd note groupings suggestive of the imposition of one time signature over another. Paul Desmond and, especially, Art Pepper were strongly influenced by Konitz.
Konitz's association with the Cool Jazz movement of the 1940s and 50s, includes participation in Miles Davis' epochal "Birth of the Cool" sessions, and his work with Lennie Tristano came from the same period. During his long career, Konitz has played with musicians from a wide variety of jazz styles.
Biography
Lee Konitz was born in 1927 in Chicago, Illinois into a Jewish family (Konitz is a variant of the name Cohen). At age eight Konitz received his first instrument—a clarinet—but later dropped the instrument in favor of the tenor saxophone. Konitz eventually moved from tenor to alto. His greatest influences at the time were the swing big bands he and his brother listened to on the radio, in particular Benny Goodman. Hearing Goodman on the radio is actually what prodded him to ask for a clarinet. On the saxophone he recalls improvising before ever learning to play any standards.[1]
Konitz began his professional career in 1945 with the Teddy Powell band as a replacement for Charlie Ventura. The engagement apparently did not start out smoothly, as Ventura is said to have banged his head against a wall when Konitz played. A month later the band parted ways. Between 1945 and 1947 he worked off and on with Jerry Wald. In 1946 he first met pianist Lennie Tristano—himself still a teen—and worked in a small cocktail bar with him. His next substantial work was done with Claude Thornhill in 1947, with Gil Evans arranging and Gerry Mulligan as a composer in most part.[2][3]
In 1949 he teamed up with the Miles Davis group for one or two weeks and again in 1950 to record "Birth of the Cool". Konitz has stated that he considered the group to belong to Gerry Mulligan, and credits Lennie Tristano as the true forebearer of "the cool". His debut as leader also came in 1949, with the release of Subconscious-Lee on Prestige Records. He also turned down an opportunity to work with Benny Goodman that same year—a decision he is on record as regretting.[4]
In the early 1950s, Konitz recorded and toured with Stan Kenton's orchestra. In 1961, he recorded Motion with Elvin Jones on drums and Sonny Dallas on bass. This spontaneous session, widely regarded as a classic in the cool genre, consisted entirely of standards. The loose trio format aptly featured Konitz's unorthodox phrasing and chromaticism.
Charlie Parker lent him support on the day Konitz's child was being born in Seattle, Washington with him stuck in New York City. The two were actually good friends, and not the rivals some jazz critics once made them out to be.[5] He has also had problems with his heart which he has received surgery for in the past.[6]
In 1967, Konitz recorded The Lee Konitz Duets, a series of duets with various musicians. The duo configurations were often unusual for the period (saxophone and trombone, two saxophones). The recordings drew on very nearly the entire history of jazz, from a Louis Armstrong dixieland number with valve trombonist Marshall Brown to two completely free duos: one with a Duke Ellington associate, violinist Ray Nance, and one with guitarist Jim Hall.
Konitz contributed to the film score for Desperate Characters (1971).
Konitz has been quite prolific, recording dozens of albums as a band leader. He has also recorded or performed with Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, Elvin Jones and others.
Konitz has become more experimental as he grows older, and has released a number of free and avant-garde jazz albums, playing alongside many far younger musicians. He has released albums on contemporary free jazz/improv labels such as hatART, Soul Jazz and Omnitone.
Discography
As leader
- 1949: Lee Konitz (Prestige)
- 1949: Subconscious-Lee (Prestige/OJC)
- 1951: Sax of a Kind (Dragon)
- 1953: Lee Konitz/Bob Brookmeyer in Paris (Vogue)
- 1953: Konitz Meets Mulligan (Pacific Jazz)
- 1954: Konitz (Black Lion)
- 1954: Jazz at Storyville (Black Lion)
- 1954: In Harvard Square (Black Lion)
- 1954: Lee Konitz/Warne Marsh (Atlantic)
- 1956: Lee Konitz Featuring Hans Koller, Lars Gullin, Roland Kovac (Swingtime)
- 1956: Inside Hi-Fi (Atlantic)
- 1957: Tranquility (Verve)
- 1957: The Real Lee Konitz (Atlantic)
- 1958: Very Cool (Verve)
- 1958: An Image: Lee Konitz with Strings (Verve)
- 1959: Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre (Verve)
- 1959: You and Lee (Verve)
- 1959: Live at the Half Note (Verve)
- 1961: Motion (Verve)
- 1965: Trio and Quartet (Magnetic)
- 1966: Modern Jazz Compositions from Haiti (Impulse!)
- 1967: The Lee Konitz Duets (Milestone/OJC)
- 1968: Impressive Rome (CAM)
- 1968: European Episode (CAM)
- 1969: Peacemeal (Milestone)
- 1970 - Lee Konitz: Lee Konitz Sax Duets (Music Minus One)
- 1971 - Lee Konitz: Spirits (Milestone/OJC)
- 1973 - Various artists: Altissimo (WestWind)
- 1974 - Lee Konitz: Jazz Juan (SteepleChase)
- 1974 - Lee Konitz: Satori (Milestone/OJC)
- 1974 - Lee Konitz: Lone-Lee (SteepleChase)
- 1974 - Lee Konitz: I Concentrate on You (A Tribute to Cole Porter) (SteepleChase)
- 1975 - Warne Marsh Quintet: Jazz Exchange (Storyville)
- 1975 - Lee Konitz/Hal Galper: Windows (SteepleChase)
- 1975 - Lee Konitz Trio: Oleo (Sonet)
- 1975 - Lee Konitz: Chicago 'n' All That Jazz (Denon/LaserLight)
- 1976 - Warne Marsh/Lee Konitz: Lee Konitz Meets Warne Marsh Again (PAUSA)
- 1976 - Lee Konitz Quintet: Figure and Spirit (Progressive)
- 1977 - Lee Konitz: The Lee Konitz Quintet (Chiaroscuro)
- 1977 - Lee Konitz: The Lee Konitz Nonet (Chiaroscuro)
- 1977 - Lee Konitz: Tenorlee (Candid)
- 1977 - Lee Konitz: Pyramid (Improvising Artists)
- 1979 - Lee Konitz/Karl Berger: Seasons Change (Circle)
- 1979 - Lee Konitz Nonet: Live at Laren (Soul Note)
- 1979 - Lee Konitz: Yes, Yes Nonet (Steeple Chase)
- 1980 - Lee Konitz/Martial Solal: Live at the Berlin Jazz Days (MPS)
- 1980 - Lee Konitz/Gil Evans: Heroes (Verve)
- 1982 - Lee Konitz: Toot Sweet (Owl)
- 1983 - Lee Konitz: Glad, Koonix! (Dragon)
- 1983 - Lee Konitz/Martial Solal: Star Eyes, Hamburg 1983 (HatOLOGY)
- 1983 - Lee Konitz: Dovetail (Sunnyside)
- 1983 - Lee Konitz: Dedicated To Lee: Lee Konitz Plays The Music of Lars Gullin (Dragon)
- 1983 - Lee Konitz: Art of the Duo (Enja)
- 1984 - Lee Konitz: Wild as Springtime (GFM)
- 1986 - Lee Konitz Quartet: Ideal Scene (Soul Note)
- 1986 - Lee Konitz: Medium Rare (Label Bleu)
- 1987 - Lee Konitz Quartet: The New York Album (Soul Note)
- 1988 - Lee Konitz/The Space Jazz Trio: Blew (Philology)
- 1988 - Lee Konitz: Solitudes (Philology)
- 1989 - Lee Konitz: In Rio (MA)
- 1989 - Lee Konitz: Konitz in Denmark (Rightone)
- 1989 - Lee Konitz: Round and Round (Music Masters)
- 1990 - Lee Konitz/Frank Wunsch Quartet: S'Nice (Nabel)
- 1990 - Lee Konitz: Zounds (Soul Note)
- 1990 - Lee Konitz: Once Upon a Line (Musidisc)
- 1991 - Lee Konitz/Lars Sjosten Quartet: Friends (Dragon)
- 1991 - Lee Konitz: Lullaby of Birdland (Candid)
- 1992 - Lee Konitz/The Jazzpar All Star Nonet: Leewise (Storyville)
- 1992 - Lee Konitz Quartet/Kenny Barron: Jazz Nocturne (Evidence)
- 1992 - Lee Konitz: Lunasea (Soul Note)
- 1992 - Lee Konitz: From Newport to Nice (Philology)
- 1992 - Lee Konitz: Frank-Lee Speaking (West Wind)
- 1993 - Lee Konitz: Rhapsody (Evidence)
- 1993 - Lee Konitz/Renato Sellani: Speakin' Lowly, Volume 1 (Philology)
- 1993 - Lee Konitz: So Many Stars (Philology)
- 1993 - Lee Konitz: Rhapsody II (Evidence)
- 1993 - Lee Konitz: Italian Ballads, Volume1 (Philology)
- 1993 - Lee Konitz: Brazilian Rhapsody (BMG/Music Masters)
- 1994 - Lee Konitz/Orchestra Il Suono Improvviso: A Venezia (Philology)
- 1994 - Lee Konitz/Alain Guyonnet: Swiss Kiss (TCB)
- 1995 - Lee Konitz Quintet: Haiku (Nabel)
- 1995 - Lee Konitz/Umberto Petrin: Breaths and Whispers (Homage to Alexandr Skrjabin) (Philology)
- 1995 - Lee Konitz/John Pl Indreberg: Step Towards a Dream (Odin)
- 1995 - Lee Konitz/Don Friedman/Attila Zoller: Thingin' (HatOLOGY)
- 1995 - Lee Konitz: Move (Moon)
- 1995 - Lee Konitz: Free with Lee (Philology)
- 1996 - Lee Konitz Trio: Alone Together (Blue Note)
- 1996 - Lee Konitz/Jeanfranois Prins Trio: Live at the Manhattan Jazz Club (GAM)
- 1996 - Lee Konitz: Guarana (AxolOtl Jazz)
- 1996 - Lee Konitz: Unaccompanied Live in Yokohama (PSF)
- 1996 - Lee Konitz: Strings for Holiday: A Tribute To Billie Holiday (Enja)
- 1996 - Lee Konitz: Lee Konitz Meets Don Friedman (Camerata)
- 1996 - Lee Konitz: It's You (SteepleChase)
- 1997 - Lee Konitz/Franco D'Andrea: Twelve Gershwin in Twelve Keys (Philology)
- 1997 - Lee Konitz/Paul Bley: Out of Nowhere (SteepleChase)
- 1997 - Lee Konitz/Frank Wunsch: The Frankfurt Concert (West Wind)
- 1997 - Lee Konitz: Dearly Beloved (SteepleChase)
- 1997 - Lee Konitz: Body and Soul (Camerata)
- 1998 - Lee Konitz: Saxophone Dreams (Koch)
- 1998 - Lee Konitz/Johannes Schaedlich: Subconscious-Lee (Summit)
- 1998 - Lee Konitz/Franco D'Andrea: Inside Cole Porter (Philology)
- 1998 - Lee Konitz/Enrico Rava: L'Age Mur (Philology)
- 1998 - Lee Konitz: Tender Lee (for Chet) (Philology)
- 1998 - Lee Konitz: Self Portrait (Philology)
- 1998 - Lee Konitz: Dialogues (Challenge)
- 1999 - Lee Konitz/Ted Brown: Dig-It (SteepleChase)
- 1999 - Lee Konitz/Steve Swallow/Paul Motian: Three Guys (Enja)
- 1999 - Lee Konitz Trio: Another Shade of Blue (Blue Note)
- 2000 - Lee Konitz/The Axis Quartet: Play French Impressionist Music from the Turn of the Twentieth Century (Palmetto)
- 2000 - Lee Konitz/rich Perry: RichLee! (SteepleChase)
- 2000 - Lee Konitz Quartet: Sound of Surprise (RCA Victor)
- 2000 - Lee Konitz: Pride (SteepleChase)
- 2001 - Lee Konitz/Franco D'Andrea: Inside Rodgers (Philology)
- 2001 - Lee Konitz/Renato Sellani: Minority, Volume 2: All The Way (The Soft Ways) (Philology)
- 2001 - Lee Konitz Trio: Some New Stuff (DIW)
- 2001 - Lee Konitz Quintet: Parallels (Chesky)
- 2002 - Lee Konitz/Matt Wilson: Gong with Wind Suite (Steeplechase)
- 2002 - Lee Konitz/Irio De Paula: Duas Contas (Philology)
- 2002 - Lee Konitz/Barbara Casini: Outra Vez (Philology)
- 2002 - Lee Konitz: At the New Mississippi Jazz Club (Philology)
- 2003 - Lee Konitz: Live-Lee (Milestone)
- 2003 - Lee Konitz/Stephano Bollani: Suite for Paolo (Philology)
- 2003 - Lee Konitz/Kenny Werner: Unleemited (Owl)
- 2003 - Lee Konitz: A Day in Florence (Philology)
- 2004 - Lee Konitz: BargaLee (Philology)
- 2004 - Lee Konitz: Sound-Lee (Membran International)
- 2004 - Lee Konitz: One Day With Lee (Capri)
- 2006 - Lee Konitz-Ohad Talmor String Project: Inventions (OmniTone)
- 2006 - Lee Konitz: New Nonet (directed by Ohad Talmor) (OmniTone)
- 2007 - Lee Konitz/Riccardo Arrighini: The Soprano Sax Album: Standards (Philology)
- 2007 - Lee Konitz/Brian Dickenson: The Glen Gould Session (Philology)
- 2007 - Lee Konitz-Ohad Talmor Big Band: Portology(featuring the Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos) (OmniTone)
As sideman
Further reading
Andy Hamilton: *Lee Konitz: Conversations on the Improviser's Art* (University of Michigan Press, 2007).
Crafted out of numerous interviews between the author and his subject, the book offers a unique account of Konitz’s life and music, detailing his own insights into his musical education and his experiences with such figures as Miles Davis, Stan Kenton, Warne Marsh, Lennie Tristano, Charles Mingus, Bud Powell and Bill Evans. [1]
References
External links
