Lee Konitz
Encyclopedia
Lee Konitz 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 40s, when Charlie Parker exercised a tremendous influence on other players.
Konitz, like other students of pianist and theoretician Lennie Tristano
, was noted for improvising 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.
—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.
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
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.
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.
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, 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. He has also had problems with his heart which he has received surgery for in the past.
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 Louis Armstrong
's "Struttin' With Some Barbecue" with valve trombonist Marshall Brown
to two completely free
duos: one with a Duke Ellington
associate, violin
ist Ray Nance
, and one with guitar
ist 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. Amongst his latest recordings are a pair of trio dates with Brad Mehldau
and Charlie Haden
released on Blue Note as well a live album recorded in 2009 at Birdland and released by ECM in 2011 featuring the same lineup with the addition of drummer Paul Motian
.
Konitz has become more experimental as he has grown 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 Note, Omnitone and the aforementioned ECM.
He was scheduled to appear at Melbourne's Recital Centre as a key attraction of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. However he fell ill causing the last minute cancellation of the performance.
With Gerry Mulligan
With Miles Davis
With Bill Evans
With Gil Evans
With Max Roach
With Lennie Tristano
With others
With Arkadia Jazz
All Stars
With Kenny Wheeler
Public television series in the late 50"s with Warne Marsh,Billy Taylor, Bill Evans,Mundell Lowe and others.
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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and alto saxophonist
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
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 40s, when Charlie Parker exercised a tremendous influence on other players.
Konitz, like other students of pianist and theoretician Lennie Tristano
Lennie Tristano
Leonard Joseph Tristano was a jazz pianist, composer and teacher of jazz improvisation. He performed in the cool jazz, bebop, post bop and avant-garde jazz genres. He remains a somewhat overlooked figure in jazz history, but his enormous originality and dazzling work as an improviser have long...
, was noted for improvising 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
Paul Desmond
Paul Desmond , born Paul Emil Breitenfeld, was a jazz alto saxophonist and composer born in San Francisco, best known for the work he did in the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for penning that group's greatest hit, "Take Five"...
and, especially, Art Pepper
Art Pepper
Art Pepper , born Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr., was an American alto saxophonist and clarinetist.About Pepper, Scott Yanow of All Music stated, "In the 1950s he was one of the few altoists that was able to develop his own sound despite the dominant influence of Charlie Parker" and: "When Art Pepper...
were strongly influenced by Konitz.
Konitz's association with the Cool Jazz
Cool jazz
Cool is a style of modern jazz music that arose following the Second World War. It is characterized by its relaxed tempos and lighter tone, in contrast to the bebop style that preceded it...
movement of the 1940s and 50s, includes participation in Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
' epochal Birth of the Cool
Birth of the Cool
Birth of the Cool is a compilation album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released in 1957 on Capitol Records. It compiles twelve songs recorded by Davis's nonet for the label over the course of three sessions during 1949 and 1950...
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.
Life and career
Konitz was born in 1927 in Chicago, Illinois. At age eight Konitz received his first instrument—a clarinetClarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
—but later dropped the instrument in favor of the tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
.
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
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, in particular Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
. 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.
Konitz began his professional career in 1945 with the Teddy Powell
Teddy Powell
Teddy Powell was an American jazz guitarist, composer and big band leader...
band as a replacement for Charlie Ventura
Charlie Ventura
Charlie Ventura was a tenor saxophonist and bandleader.Ventura was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He had his first successes working with Gene Krupa. In 1945 he won the Down Beat readers' poll in the tenor saxophone division...
. 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
Jerry Wald
Jerry Wald was an American producer and screenwriter for motion pictures and radio shows.Born Jerome Irving Wald in Brooklyn, New York, he had a brother and sons who were active in show business. Jerry began writing a radio column for the New York Evening Graphic while a student at New York...
. In 1946 he first met pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
Lennie Tristano
Lennie Tristano
Leonard Joseph Tristano was a jazz pianist, composer and teacher of jazz improvisation. He performed in the cool jazz, bebop, post bop and avant-garde jazz genres. He remains a somewhat overlooked figure in jazz history, but his enormous originality and dazzling work as an improviser have long...
and worked in a small cocktail bar with him. His next substantial work was done with Claude Thornhill
Claude Thornhill
Claude Thornhill was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader...
in 1947, with Gil Evans
Gil Evans
Gil Evans was a jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader, active in the United States...
arranging and Gerry Mulligan
Gerry Mulligan
Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
as a composer in most part.
In 1949 he teamed up with the Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
group for one or two weeks and again in 1950 to record Birth of the Cool
Birth of the Cool
Birth of the Cool is a compilation album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released in 1957 on Capitol Records. It compiles twelve songs recorded by Davis's nonet for the label over the course of three sessions during 1949 and 1950...
. 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
Prestige Records
Prestige Records was a jazz record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock. The company was located at 203 South Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz musicians of the day, sometimes issuing them under the names of several...
. He also turned down an opportunity to work with Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
that same year—a decision he is on record as regretting.
In the early 1950s, Konitz recorded and toured with Stan Kenton
Stan Kenton
Stanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator....
's orchestra. In 1961, he recorded Motion
Motion (Lee Konitz album)
Motion is an album by jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz, recorded in 1961 for Verve Records. It features the great jazz drummer Elvin Jones as well the bass player Sonny Dallas. It is regarded by many as Konitz's finest album...
with Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
on drums and Sonny Dallas
Sonny Dallas
Francis Dominic Joseph Dallas , also known as Frank "Sonny" Dallas, was an American jazz bassist and singer....
on bass. This spontaneous session, widely regarded as a classic, consisted entirely of standards. The loose trio format aptly featured Konitz's unorthodox phrasing and chromaticism.
Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
lent him support on the day Konitz's child was being born in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
with him stuck in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The two were actually good friends, and not the rivals some jazz critics once made them out to be. He has also had problems with his heart which he has received surgery for in the past.
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
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, from Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
's "Struttin' With Some Barbecue" with valve trombonist Marshall Brown
Marshall Brown
Marshall Brown was a jazz musician and educator. He played trombones and, less often, bass trumpet or euphonium. He played the valve trombone.Brown was little recorded, and devoted most of his career to education...
to two completely free
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
duos: one with a Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
associate, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist Ray Nance
Ray Nance
Ray Willis Nance was a jazz trumpeter, violinist and singer.Nance is best known for his long association with Duke Ellington through most of the 1940s and 1950s, after he was hired to replace Cootie Williams in 1940...
, and one with guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist Jim Hall
Jim Hall (musician)
James Stanley Hall is an American jazz guitarist.-Biography:Educated at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Hall moved to Los Angeles where he began to attract national, and then international, attention in the late 1950s...
.
Konitz contributed to the film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
for Desperate Characters
Desperate Characters
Desperate Characters is a 1971 American drama film produced, written, and directed by Frank D. Gilroy, who based his screenplay on the 1970 novel of the same name by Paula Fox.-Plot:...
(1971).
Konitz has been quite prolific, recording dozens of albums as a band leader. He has also recorded or performed with Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck
David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
, Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
, Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
, Gerry Mulligan
Gerry Mulligan
Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
, Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
and others. Amongst his latest recordings are a pair of trio dates with Brad Mehldau
Brad Mehldau
Brad Mehldau is an American jazz pianist. Besides leading his own group, the Brad Mehldau Trio, he has performed with many renowned artists, including Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter, Larry Grenadier, Peter Bernstein, Jeff Ballard, Joshua Redman, Christian McBride, Michael Brecker, Chris Potter, Kurt...
and Charlie Haden
Charlie Haden
Charles Edward Haden is an American jazz musician. He is a double bassist, probably best known for his long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman...
released on Blue Note as well a live album recorded in 2009 at Birdland and released by ECM in 2011 featuring the same lineup with the addition of drummer Paul Motian
Paul Motian
Stephen Paul Motian was an American jazz drummer, percussionist and composer of Armenian extraction.He first came to prominence in the late 1950s in the piano trio of Bill Evans, and later led several groups...
.
Konitz has become more experimental as he has grown 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 Note, Omnitone and the aforementioned ECM.
He was scheduled to appear at Melbourne's Recital Centre as a key attraction of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. However he fell ill causing the last minute cancellation of the performance.
As leader
- 1949-50: With Tristano, Marsh and Bauer (Prestige)
- 1953: Konitz Meets Mulligan (With Gerry MulliganGerry MulliganGerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
and Chet BakerChet BakerChesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and singer.Though his music earned him a large following , Baker's popularity was due in part to his "matinee idol-beauty" and "well-publicized drug habit."He died in 1988 in Amsterdam, the...
) (Pacific) - 1954: Konitz (Storyville)
- 1954: Jazz At Storyville (Storyville)
- 1954: In Harvard Square (Storyville)
- 1954: Lee Konitz With 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)
- 1961: MotionMotion (Lee Konitz album)Motion is an album by jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz, recorded in 1961 for Verve Records. It features the great jazz drummer Elvin Jones as well the bass player Sonny Dallas. It is regarded by many as Konitz's finest album...
(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 Sax Duets (Music Minus One)
- 1971: Spirits (Milestone: OJC)
- 1974: Jazz A Juan (SteepleChase)
- 1974: SatoriSatori (Konitz album)Satori is a jazz album by saxophonist Lee Konitz. It was originally released in 1974 on Milestone label as M-9060 and remastered in 1997. The album features some classic jazz standards besides other experimental compositions such as "Satori". Four of the seven tracks are Konitz's pieces.-Track...
(Milestone: OJC) - 1974: Lone-Lee (SteepleChase)
- 1974: I Concentrate on You (A Tribute to Cole Porter) (SteepleChase)
- 1975: Warne Marsh Quintet: Jazz Exchange (Storyville)
- 1975: Hal Galper: Windows (SteepleChase)
- 1975: Trio: Oleo (Sonet)
- 1975: Chicago 'n' All That Jazz (Denon: LaserLight)
- 1976: Lee Konitz Meets Warne Marsh Again (PAUSA)
- 1976: Figure and Spirit (Progressive)
- 1977: The Lee Konitz Quintet (Chiaroscuro RecordsChiaroscuro Records-Artists:*Nat Adderley*Howard Alden*George Barnes*Louie Bellson*Gene Bertoncini*Eubie Blake*Ruby Braff*John Bunch*Don Cherry*Buck Clayton*Eddie Condon*Johnny Costa*Kenny Davern*Wild Bill Davison*Lou Donaldson*Dorothy Donegan*John Eaton*Don Ewell...
) - 1977: The Lee Konitz Nonet (Chiaroscuro)
- 1977: Tenorlee (Candid)
- 1977: Pyramid (Improvising ArtistsImprovising Artists-Discography:...
) - 1979: Seasons Change (Circle Records (Germany)Circle Records (Germany)Circle Records was an Germany based record label specializing in jazz, established in 1976. -Discography:Circle Records was an Germany based record label specializing in jazz, established in 1976. -Discography:...
, with Karl BergerKarl BergerKarl Hanns Berger is a musicologist with a PhD in Music Sociology, jazz composer, jazz vibraphone and piano player.-Biography:...
) - 1979 Nonet: Live at Laren (Soul Note)
- 1979: Yes, Yes Nonet (Steeple Chase)
- 1980: Martial Solal: Live at the Berlin Jazz Days (MPS)
- 1980: Heroes (Verve)
- 1980: Anti-heroes (Verve)
- 1982: Toot Sweet (Owl)
- 1983: Glad, Koonix! (Dragon)
- 1983: Martial Solal: Star Eyes, Hamburg 1983 (HatOLOGY)
- 1983: Dovetail (Sunnyside)
- 1983: Dedicated To Lee: Lee Konitz Plays The Music of Lars Gullin (Dragon)
- 1983: Art of the Duo (Enja)
- 1984: Wild as Springtime (GFM)
- 1986: Quartet: Ideal Scene (Soul Note)
- 1986: Medium Rare (Label Bleu)
- 1987: Quartet: The New York Album (Soul Note)
- 1988: The Space Jazz Trio: Blew (Philology)
- 1988: Solitudes (Philology)
- 1989: In Rio (MA)
- 1989: Konitz in Denmark (Rightone)
- 1989: Round and Round (Music Masters)
- 1990: Frank Wunsch Quartet: S'Nice (Nabel)
- 1990: Zounds (Soul Note)
- 1990: Once Upon a Line (Musidisc)
- 1991: Lars Sjosten Quartet: Friends (Dragon)
- 1991: Lullaby of Birdland (Candid)
- 1992: The Jazzpar All Star Nonet: Leewise (Storyville)
- 1992: Jazz Nocturne (Evidence)
- 1992: Lunasea (Soul Note)
- 1992: From Newport to Nice (Philology)
- 1992: Frank-Lee Speaking (West Wind)
- 1993: Rhapsody (Evidence)
- 1993: Renato Sellani: Speakin' Lowly, Volume 1 (Philology)
- 1993: So Many Stars (Philology)
- 1993: Rhapsody II (Evidence)
- 1993: Italian Ballads, Volume1 (Philology)
- 1993: Brazilian Rhapsody (BMG: Music Masters)
- 1994: Orchestra Il Suono Improvviso: A Venezia (Philology)
- 1994: Swiss Kiss (TCB)
- 1995: Haiku (Nabel)
- 1995: Umberto Petrin: Breaths and Whispers (Homage to Alexandr Skrjabin) (Philology)
- 1995: John Pl Indreberg: Step Towards a Dream (Odin)
- 1995: Don Friedman: Attila Zoller: Thingin' (HatOLOGY)
- 1995: Move (Moon)
- 1995: Free with Lee(Philology)
- 1996: Alone Together (Blue Note)
- 1996: Live at the Manhattan Jazz Club (GAM)
- 1996: Guarana (AxolOtl Jazz)
- 1996: Unaccompanied Live in Yokohama (PSF)
- 1996: Strings for Holiday: A Tribute To Billie Holiday (Enja)
- 1996: Lee Konitz Meets Don FriedmanDon FriedmanDonald Ernest Friedman , better known as Don Friedman, is a jazz pianist. On the West Coast, he performed with Dexter Gordon, Chet Baker, Buddy DeFranco and Ornette Coleman, among others, before moving to New York...
(Camerata) - 1996: It's You (SteepleChase)
- 1997: Twelve Gershwin in Twelve Keys (Philology)
- 1997: Out of Nowhere (SteepleChase)
- 1997: The Frankfurt Concert (West Wind)
- 1997: Dearly Beloved (SteepleChase)
- 1997: Body and Soul (Camerata)
- 1998: Saxophone Dreams (Koch)
- 1998: Inside Cole Porter (Philology)
- 1998: L'Age Mur (Philology)
- 1998: Tender Lee (for Chet) (Philology)
- 1998: Self Portrait (Philology)
- 1998: Dialogues (Challenge)
- 1999: Dig-It (SteepleChase)
- 1999: Three Guys (Enja)
- 1999: Trio: Another Shade of Blue (Blue Note)
- 2000: The Axis Quartet: Play French Impressionist Music from the Turn of the Twentieth Century (Palmetto)
- 2000: rich Perry: RichLee! (SteepleChase)
- 2000 Quartet: Sound of Surprise (RCA Victor)
- 2000: Pride (SteepleChase)
- 2001: Franco D'AndreaFranco D'AndreaFranco D'Andrea is an Italian pianist who plays mostly jazz and rock. He developed his style in the 1960s and won several awards in his home country...
: Inside Rodgers (Philology) - 2001: Renato Sellani: Minority, Volume 2: All The Way (The Soft Ways) (Philology)
- 2001 Trio: Some New Stuff (DIW)
- 2001 Quintet: Parallels (Chesky)
- 2002: Matt Wilson: Gong with Wind Suite (Steeplechase)
- 2002: Irio De Paula: Duas Contas (Philology)
- 2002: Barbara CasiniBarbara CasiniBarbara Casini, is an Italian vocalist and guitar player. Studying piano from her youth, she was exposed to Bossa Nova at the age of 15, which had a marked influence on her musical life...
: Outra Vez (Philology) - 2002: At the New Mississippi Jazz Club (Philology)
- 2003: Live-Lee (Milestone)
- 2003: Stephano Bollani: Suite for Paolo (Philology)
- 2003: Kenny Werner: Unleemited (Owl)
- 2003: A Day in Florence (Philology)
- 2004: BargaLee (Philology)
- 2004: Sound-Lee (Membran International)
- 2004: One Day With Lee (Capri)
- 2006: Ohad Talmor String Project: Inventions(OmniTone)
- 2006: New Nonet (directed by Ohad Talmor) (OmniTone)
- 2007: Riccardo Arrighini: The Soprano Sax Album: Standards (Philology)
- 2007: Brian Dickenson: The Glen Gould Session (Philology)
- 2007: Ohad Talmor Big Band: Portology(featuring the Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos) (OmniTone)
- 2008: Lee Konitz & Minsarah: Deep Lee (Featuring Jeff Denson, Florian weber, Ziv Ravitz) (ENJA)
- 2009: Lee Konitz / Dan Tepfer: Duos with Lee (Sunnyside)
- 2009: Lee Konitz New quartet: Live at the village Vanguard (Featuring Jeff Denson, Florian weber, Ziv Ravitz) (ENJA)
- 2011: Lee Konitz/Brad Mehldau/Charlie Haden/Paul Motian: Live at Birdland (ECM)
As sideman
With Stan KentonStan Kenton
Stanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator....
- City Of Glass
- This Modern World
- New Concepts Of Artistry In Rhythm
- Sketches On Standards
- Portraits On Standards
- Kenton Showcase
With Gerry Mulligan
Gerry Mulligan
Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
- Lee Konitz And The Gerry Mulligan Quartet
- Lee Konitz Plays With The Gerry Mulligan Quartet
With Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
- Birth of the CoolBirth of the CoolBirth of the Cool is a compilation album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released in 1957 on Capitol Records. It compiles twelve songs recorded by Davis's nonet for the label over the course of three sessions during 1949 and 1950...
(1949) - Miles AheadMiles AheadMiles Ahead is a jazz album by Miles Davis that was released in 1957 on Columbia CL 1041. This was the first album following Birth of the Cool that Davis recorded with Gil Evans, with whom he would go on to release albums such as Porgy and Bess and Sketches of Spain...
(1957)
With Bill Evans
Bill Evans
William John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
- CrosscurrentsCrosscurrents (Bill Evans album)Crosscurrents is an album by American jazz pianist Bill Evans, released in 1977.Along with Evans' current trio of Eddie Gomez and Eliot Zigmund, Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh guest on alto and tenor saxophone respectively.-Reception:...
(1977)
With Gil Evans
Gil Evans
Gil Evans was a jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader, active in the United States...
- Gil Evans & TenGil Evans & TenGil Evans & Ten is the first album by pianist, conductor, arranger and composer Gil Evans as a leader, released on the Prestige label in 1957...
(1957)
With Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
- It's Christmas AgainIt's Christmas AgainIt's Christmas Again is an album by American jazz drummer Max Roach recorded in 1984 for the Italian Soul Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 2½ stars stating "It's Christmas Again is a project that for many did not work, but no matter how you slice it, an...
(Soul Note, 1984)
With Lennie Tristano
Lennie Tristano
Leonard Joseph Tristano was a jazz pianist, composer and teacher of jazz improvisation. He performed in the cool jazz, bebop, post bop and avant-garde jazz genres. He remains a somewhat overlooked figure in jazz history, but his enormous originality and dazzling work as an improviser have long...
- Lennie TristanoLennie Tristano (album)Lennie Tristano, also known as Tristano, is a 1956 album by bebop jazz pianist Lennie Tristano. At its release, the album was controversial for its innovative use of technology, with Tristano overdubbing piano and manipulating tape speed for effect on the first four tracks. The final five songs...
(1956)
With others
- 1947 - Claude ThornhillClaude ThornhillClaude Thornhill was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader...
and His Orchestra: The Uncollected Claude Thornhill and His Orchestra (Hindsight) - 1949 - Lennie TristanoLennie TristanoLeonard Joseph Tristano was a jazz pianist, composer and teacher of jazz improvisation. He performed in the cool jazz, bebop, post bop and avant-garde jazz genres. He remains a somewhat overlooked figure in jazz history, but his enormous originality and dazzling work as an improviser have long...
/Warne MarshWarne MarshWarne Marion Marsh was an American tenor saxophonist born in Los Angeles.-Biography:Marsh came from an affluent background: his father was the cinematographer Oliver T. Marsh , and his mother Elizabeth was a violinist...
: Intuition (Capitol) - 1968 - Attila ZollerAttila ZollerAttila Cornelius Zoller was a Hungarian born Jazz guitarist. He won Deutscher Filmpreis for Beste Filmmusik in Germany for the film Das Brot der frühen Jahre in 1962.-Biography:...
: Zo-Ko-Ma (MPS RecordsMPS RecordsMPS Records was a German jazz record label founded in 1968. MPS stands for "Musik Produktion Schwarzwald" .-History:...
) - 1972 - Charles MingusCharles MingusCharles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
: Charles Mingus and Friends in ConcertCharles Mingus and Friends in ConcertCharles Mingus and Friends in Concert is a live album by jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus recorded at the Philharmonic hall of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1972 and released on the Columbia label...
(Columbia) - 2006 - Francois Théberge: Soliloque (Effendi Records)
- 2009 - Jakob BroJakob BroJakob Bro is a Danish jazz guitarist. Bro has never received any musical training besides short periods spent at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, the Berklee College of Music in Boston and New School University in New York...
: BalladeeringBalladeeringBalladeering is a 2009 studio album by Danish jazz guitarist Jakob Bro.The vinyl version of the album came with a DVD featuring the movie Weightless which documented the making of the album.- Track listing :All tracks composed by Jakob Bro...
(Loveland Records)
With Arkadia Jazz
Arkadia Jazz
Arkadia Jazz is an American jazz record label.Postcards Records is a division of Arkadia Jazz "focusing on electro-acoustic recordings by boundry-challengers".Brazilian jazz ensemble Nova Bossa Nova released their one album for the label....
All Stars
- Thank You, Gerry!
With Kenny Wheeler
Kenny Wheeler
Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC is a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. since the 1950s....
- Angel Song
Television appearances
- SOLOS: The Jazz SessionsSOLOS: The Jazz SessionsSOLOS: the jazz sessions is 39 part television music profile/performance series produced in Canada by Original Spin Media. Each episode features complete musical pieces, interviews and behind-the-scenes footage with some of today's most notable jazz artists....
(2004) - Weightless - a recording session with Jakob Bro (2009)
Public television series in the late 50"s with Warne Marsh,Billy Taylor, Bill Evans,Mundell Lowe and others.
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.
Compositions
Lee Konitz's compositions included "Subconscious-Lee", "Thingin'", "Sound-Lee", "Palo Alto", "Kary's Trance", "Riffin'", "Self Portrait in Blues", "Back and Forth", "Figure and Spirit", "Ice Cream Konitz", "Dream Stepper", "Without You Man", "Rebecca", "Mr. 88", "Hi Beck", "Tautology", "Sax of a Kind", "Progression", and "Gundula".External links
- A 1985 interview
- Lee Konitz: 12 Memorable Duets by Thierry Quénum (Jazz.com)
- Lee Konitz Trio: Live At The Village Vanguard by NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...