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Biography
Infobox musical artist| name = Lee Konitz| image = Konitz Lee Koeln altes pfandhaus 201207.jpg| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist| birth_name = Lee Konitz| alias =| birth_date = Birth date and age|1927|10|13| origin = Chicago, Illinois , United States|U.S. | instrument = Alto saxophone | genre = Jazz Cool jazz | occupation = Saxophonist , Composer | years_active =| label = RCA Red Seal Atlantic Records Verve Records Prestige Records Palmetto Records | associated_acts = Miles Davis , Gil Evans , Jim Hall (musician)|Jim Hall , Elvin Jones , Lennie Tristano , Warne Marsh , Brad Mehldau , Charlie Haden | website =| current_members =| past_members =| notable_instruments = Lee Konitz (born October 13, 1927) is an United States|American jazz composer and alto saxophone|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 CharlieParker 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.
Life and career
Konitz was born in 1927 in Chicago, Illinois . 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 music|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.cite web| last = Robinson| first = Michael| title = An interview with Lee Konitz| url= http://www.sawf.org/Newedit/edit09182000/musicarts.asp| accessdate = 2007-05-31|archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20110720025727/ http://www.sawf.org/Newedit/edit09182000/musicarts.asp|archivedate=2011-07-20
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 saidWho|date=August 2011 to have banged his head against a wall when Konitz played.Citation needed|date=August 2011 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."Ibid"; Gordon, Jack"Ibid"; Billy Taylor's Jazz at the Kennedy Center
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."Ibid"; Gordon, Jack
In the early 1950s, Konitz recorded and toured with Stan Kenton 's orchestra. In 1961, he recorded Motion (Lee Konitz album)|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.
CharlieParker 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."Ibid"; An Interview with Lee Konitz He has also had problems with his heart which he has received surgery for in the past.cite web| last = Jung| first = Fred| title = A Fireside Chat With Lee Konitz| url= http://www.jazzweekly.com/interviews/konitz.htm| accessdate = 2007-05-31
In 1967, Konitz recorded The Lee Konitz Duets , a series of duet s 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 trombone|valve trombonist Marshall Brown to two completely free improvisation|free duos: one with a Duke Ellington associate, violin ist Ray Nance , and one with guitar ist Jim Hall (musician)|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.
Discography
As leader
1949-50: With Tristano, Marsh and Bauer (Prestige)
SOLOS: The Jazz Sessions http://www.solosjazz.com/a_lee.php (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. http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do? id=130264
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".
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.melmartin.com/html_pages/Interviews/konitz.html A 1985 interview
http://www.jazz.com/dozens/the-dozens-lee-konitz-duets Lee Konitz: 12 Memorable Duets by Thierry Quénum (Jazz.com)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php? storyId=122688265 Lee Konitz Trio: Live At The Village Vanguard by NPR
Authority control|PND=12060003X|LCCN=n/81/58261|VIAF=71373696 Persondata | NAME =Konitz, Lee | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION =american jazz saxophonist | DATE OF BIRTH =1927-10-13 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Konitz, Lee Category:1927 births Category:American jazz alto saxophonists Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Cool jazz saxophonists Category:Enja Records artists Category:Living people Category:Miles Davis Category:Milestone Records artists Category:Palmetto Records artists Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Prestige Records artists Category:SteepleChase Records artists Category:Verve Records artists
