Lee Konitz | Artist

Leon Konitz was an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born 1927 in Chicago, Illinois. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. He was one of relatively few alto saxophonists of this era to retain a distinctive style, when Charlie Parker exerted a massive influence. At the age of eleven, inspired by Benny Goodman, Konitz began playing clarinet but a year later, his admiration for Lester Young led him to take up the tenor saxophone, and he eventually moved from tenor to alto. Konitz began his professional career in 1945 with the Teddy Powell band, then in 1946 met pianist Lennie Tristano and the pair worked together in a small cocktail bar. His next gig was with Claude Thornhill, with Gil Evans arranging and Gerry Mulligan as composer. He participated with Miles Davis in a group and recorded with the band in 1949 and 1950 on the tracks which were collected on the album Birth of the Cool. In the early 1950s, Konitz recorded and toured with the Stan Kenton Orchestra but also continued to record as a leader. In 1961, he recorded the album Motion for Verve, with Elvin Jones on drums and Sonny Dallas on bass. This spontaneous session consisted entirely of standards. The loose trio format aptly featured Konitz's unorthodox phrasing and chromaticism. As well as leading his own groups, Konitz was a great collaborator, working with the likes of Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, Attila Zoller, Gerry Mulligan and Elvin Jones. He also recorded with Brad Mehldau, Charlie Haden and Paul Motion. Konitz became more experimental as he grew older and released a number of free jazz and avant-garde jazz albums, performing with many younger musicians. Over a recording career of sixty years, Konitz released 130 studio albums plus a further 38 live albums. Highlights include Lee Konitz and The Gerry Mulligan Quartet (1954), Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre (1959), Motion (1961), The Lee Konitz Duets (1968), Peacemeal (1970), Yes Yes Nonet (1979), Alone Together (1997) and the archival release Live at the Half Note (1994). Lee Konitz died in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic due to complications brought on by the disease.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Lee_Konitz

Featured Albums: Lee Konitz

Related Artists: Gerry Mulligan, Jimmy Giuffre, Bill Evans, Kenny Wheeler

Video Clips: With Bill Evans, Bird Lives, Just Friends