Parallels Lee Konitz

• 1 How Deep Is The Ocean 08:08
• 2 For Hans 06:16
• 3 Skylark 07:22
• 4 LT 07:41
• 5 317 East 32nd 08:34
• 6 Palo Alto 08:04
• 7 Eyes 06:21
• 8 Subconscious Lee 06:18
• Total Runtime 58:44

Info for Parallels

This way of life I have chosen to follow is filled with many pleasant situations - I travel, acknowledging an invitation, to various places around the world, and frequently play with musicians for the first time in front of an audience, and more often than not, it works - amazing!

This has also occurred for recording sessions. Someone invites me to join in for a session, as in this case, and lo and behold, some nice sounds ensue - My! My! Bill Goodwin called me and we came up with this band: Peter Bernstein grew up on the same building as me in New York City and I’ve been looking for the opportunity to play together. Mark Turner was another treat for me: I asked him if he knew any of the lines I wrote (He knew them all!); and I’ve been playing with Bill and Steve for sometime, so I knew I liked them - And thanks to the Chesky brothers for their interest and their staff for making such a pleasant environment (in a Church!) and such a good sound.

The nature of this music is so filled with possibilities to be creative that special rapport can happen at any given moment and it definitely happened here with these special people

Lee Konitz, alto saxophone
Mark Turner, tenor saxophone
Peter Bernstein, guitar
Steve Gilmore, acoustic bass
Bill Goodwin, drums

Lee Konitz
One of the most individual of all altoists (and one of the few in the 1950s who did not sound like a cousin of Charlie Parker), the cool-toned Lee Konitz has always had a strong musical curiosity that has led him to consistently take chances and stretch himself, usually quite successfully. Early on he studied clarinet, switched to alto, and played with Jerry Wald. Konitz gained some attention for his solos with Claude Thornhill & His Orchestra (1947). He began studying with Lennie Tristano, who had a big influence on his conception and approach to improvising. Konitz was with Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool Nonet during their one gig and their Capitol recordings (1948-1950) and recorded with Lennie Tristano's innovative sextet (1949), including the first two free improvisations ever documented. Konitz blended very well with Warne Marsh's tenor (their unisons on "Wow" are miraculous) and would have several reunions with both Tristano and Marsh through the years, but he was also interested in finding his own way; by the early '50s he started breaking away from the Tristano school. Konitz toured Scandinavia (1951), where his cool sound was influential, and he fit in surprisingly well with Stan Kenton & His Orchestra (1952-1954), being featured on many charts by Bill Holman and Bill Russo.

The Lee Konitz DuetsKonitz was primarily a leader from that point on. He almost retired from music in the early '60s but re-emerged a few years later. His recordings have ranged from cool bop to thoughtful free improvisations, and his Milestone set of Duets (1967) is a classic. In the late '70s Konitz led a notable nonet and in 1992 he won the prestigious Jazzpar Prize. He kept a busy release schedule throughout the '90s and dabbled in the world of classical music with 2000's French Impressionist Music from the Turn of the Twentieth Century. The Mark Masters Ensemble joined him for 2004's One Day with Lee, and in 2007 he recorded Portology with the Ohad Talmor Big Band. He has recorded on soprano and tenor but has mostly stuck to his distinctive alto. Konitz has led consistently stimulating sessions for many labels, including Prestige, Dragon, Pacific Jazz, Vogue, Storyville, Atlantic, Verve, Wave, Milestone, MPS, Polydor, Bellaphon, SteepleChase, Sonet, Groove Merchant, Roulette, Progressive, Choice, IAI, Chiaroscuro, Circle, Black Lion, Soul Note, Storyville, Evidence, and Philogy. In 2011, he released his own trio album Knowinglee and appeared on the live ECM date Live at Birdland (recorded in 2009) with pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Paul Motian.

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