COVID-19 Level 3: Day 2

There have been many live streamed concerts since the lockdown began, but the first I’ve tuned into was this morning’s duo concert by Frank Gratkowski (alto sax) and Simon Seidl (piano) at The Loft in Cologne. The concert was titled “Mainstream & Beyond: in memoriam Lee Konitz”, and while the tribute concert is not really my thing, I wasn’t going to pass by a chance to hear Frank playing on the Konitz and Tristano lines and standard tunes (a rarity). 

Of course the wifi decided to cut out right as they were about to start! I got back online during “Stella by Starlight” - other tunes included the likes of “Subconscious-Lee”, “Body & Soul”, “Dreams”, Albert Mangelsdorf’s “Hot Hut”, “Ice Cream Konitz”, “Prelude to a Kiss”, “Just Friends” and “Ablution”. I noticed the audience peaked around 95... 85 was about average (based on the comments it was largely a German audience). Really nicely recorded too. The Loft is streaming Frank live again tomorrow – 7am NZ time – solo and duo.

Last week I mentioned that I need to address my lack of James Wylie recordings, so until I do, Benjamin Schaefer’s Quiet Fire will fill the void. As the name suggests it may be a little on the quiet side, but it doesn’t lack spark. It has a certain warmth, even during some of the more abstract moments, that I find very appealing. It’s not an album that’s going to smack you over the head, and I like that. The quintet has a different weight to it - the drums have a (mostly) textural role and the presence of harp brings a lightness. If you’re looking for deep swing, look elsewhere. But I wasn’t, so I didn’t.

COVID-19 Lockdown: Day 30

This morning I tuned into James Wylie’s podcast featuring music from Iran. I know next to nothing about Iranian music and found it a fascinating listen. I’m looking forward to catching any follow-up episodes he puts together.

Then the headphones came off and Lee Konitz came on for a couple of spins. Lee really was on form at this session recorded while he was on tour with Stan Kenton’s band in 1953. It features multiple takes of “I’ll Remember April”, “All The Things You Are” and “These Foolish Things” and a single take of “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To”. Relaxed intensity, swinging, melodic, inventive – it’s a gem of a recording (I think it has released under various names) that might not be as well known as some of his other work, but definitely worth checking out if you haven’t heard it. His phrasing and articulation really stood out today. Expect more Lee next week and Quiet Fire is on the cards too.

COVID-19 Lockdown: Day 22

After another early morning round of Steve Cournane’s Dancing Queen kicked off week 3 of the pandemic lockdown. Then it was onto disc 3 of Too Marvelous For Words – Sal Mosca at Utrecht, 21 June, 1981. How about the chord solos on “Prelude to a Kiss” and “There Will Never Be Another You”? Sal had a sense of harmony second to none. He can be quite the romantic too, perhaps more so than others associated with Lennie Tristano. On studying with Sal Mosca, Larry Bluth wrote in the liner notes “The most basic material began to take on aspects I never knew existed.” I had a similar experience during my studies with Richard Tabnik and Connie Crothers. If fact, when people asked me what I worked on in my lessons, they often gave a puzzled look when I answered.... a kind of, “is that it?” look. Yeah, that’s it.

Then came the sad news of Lee Konitz’ passing. I clearly remember hearing Lee for the first time. It was Birth of the Cool. A pivotal moment in my life. Things would be very different had I not heard that when I did. I'll leave it there for now while I listen to Birth of the Cool.

Stan Getz Blindfold Test

From May 10, 1973, Stan Getz takes Down Beat's "Blindfold Test." Dan Morgenstern tests Getz with tracks by Chick Corea, Dexter Gordon, Lee Konitz, Miles Davis and even a track by Getz (from 25 years earlier). More vintage magazine articles are available here.

Konitz/Haden - Sweet and Lovely

Not long after discovering the music Lee Konitz, I picked up Alone Together (Blue Note) featuring Konitz alongside Charlie Haden and Brad Mehldau. It was placed on heavy rotation and quickly became one of my favourite albums and by the end of the year (1999) the follow up - Another Shade of Blue - also was getting plenty of airtime.
In the liner notes of Alone Together Konitz mentions that the gig was originally intended to be a sax/bass duo recording for King Records. A couple of years later I found the duo recording listed in an online discography but I was unable to track it down. Over the years it would pop into my mind and I would have a search, hoping it would eventually show up on eBay, and then forget about it again.

In December, while browsing Dusty Groove for Charlie Haden recordings, there it was - Lee Konitz & Charlie Haden Sweet and Lovely - the missing piece of the December 1996 recordings at the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles. Although I placed my order immediately, someone bet me to it and it was out of stock. It came back in stock while I was somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, and by the time I found out, the elusive duo had sold out once again. The new year rolled around and the album appeared on eBay and this time around it didn't escape.

The first spin reminded me of catching up with old friends you haven't seen for many years and things just slot right back in place. That's not to say there weren't surprises - there were, and as I continue to listen, the album keeps delivering the goods. The sparseness of the sax and bass on the trio albums always appealed to me and it really comes to the fore in these seven duo performances. Sweet and Lovely has been getting regular airtime over the past month and I feel it's the kind of album that will keep on giving. I had been waiting a long time to hear this and it didn't disappoint. Konitz and Haden have added a little weight to the decision that if push came to shove, duos would be placed at the top of my favourite line-ups. Highly recommended for fans of Konitz, Haden, bass accompaniment, duos and melodic playing.

Kenny Wheeler - Angel Song

It was sad news to hear of Kenny Wheeler's passing yesterday. Around 2000, when I was hunting out everything Lee Konitz, I discovered Wheeler's 1996 album Angel Song (ECM). Man, I listened to that album a lot that year or so (and later played "Onmo" in my final recital). It was the Konitz who initially grabbed my attention but I soon discovered that there was a lot more to this album than just his presence. Wheeler, Konitz, Dave Holland and Bill Frisell - four distinctive sounds combing as one made for compelling listening. Spacious, lyrical, wistful and powerful (in ways you don't normally associate that word being used), it seems odd that this was there only album together. My ear is drawn to a horn players tone first and from the start Wheeler had me - personal and expressive combined with lyrical phrasing. His tunes are a key ingredient to the album's overall feel. Listening to Angel Song yesterday afternoon and this morning has made me want to revisit these melodies. Although it had been a couple of years since I last gave it a spin it felt like returning home to old friends. Find some time to relax with this gem of an album.

Impact Records: Miles Davis - Birth of The Cool

It's been a while since added to this series of the blog. Here are the previous entries - Kings of Swing, Kind Of Blue, Charlie Parker, Billie and Pres, Out To Lunch.

I'm not sure what led me to this album. Perhaps someone mentioned it to me or I read about it somewhere. This was early in 1999 during my first year at music schools and hitting the library was almost part of the daily routine (I lived just a couple of blocks away). Sometimes I was there for something specific, other times I would just choose albums at random. Either way, I returned home from one of my many visits to the library with a stack of CDs to listen to and in amongst them was Miles Davis' Birth Of The Cool. The first track "Move," grabbed my attention - this was a different sound from the ensemble. But the thing that really made me pay attention was the alto saxophone solo. So this was Lee Konitz - a name I had come across but had yet to hear. A personal approach to the horn - tone, phrasing, time, the line. This album got a lot of air time that week/month and at times I would just loop Konitz's solos. Not long after hearing Birth Of The Cool (maybe the same week) I was exposed to him again during one of our Improvisation classes. Our teacher (Hi Nick!) talked about Konitz's 10-step method and played us "All The Things You Are" and "Too Marvelous For Words" from Konitz Meets Mulligan. I purchased this album not long after with money from playing on the street [This was how I funded most of my CD purchases during my time at music school… I enjoyed the expression on their faces as I handed over $20-$30 in change]. Not long after that was Lennie Tristano/Warne Marsh Intuition (the reissue of Tristano's Capitol Recordings and a Marsh session from the 50s) and Konitz's Subconscious-Lee, which I had to special order and it was expensive. I'll probably write a bit on those albums in the future.
During my first visit to NYC (April 2002) I heard concert by a college faculty band playing the Birth Of The Cool charts. I can't remember what school but John Faddis was on trumpet, I think Jim Snidero was on alto and John Riley on drums - I'm sure I have it written down in a notebook somewhere. I took me a little while to get the live recordings once they were issued. I haven't listened to them in a while so maybe I'll head there next.

Charlie Haden

Haden @ Jazz Middelheim August 2009
photo by Guy Van de Poel

The web is alive with tributes to Charlie Haden and I felt it was necessary to add my two cents. I spent some time on Friday afternoon listening to some selections from the post-Ornette quartet "Old and New Dreams" and Etudes (trio with Geri Allen & Paul Motian), Memoirs (trio Paul Bley & Paul Motian). He has plenty of room to shine on Soapsuds, Soapsuds, a duo with Ornette Coleman.

Improvisers (on any instrument) can learn so much from his melodicism and economy. The later being a rare quality (we all tend to over-play) and is something I am becoming increasing interested in. The man could say a lot with a little and his music came from a deep place. One of my favourites.

I first heard Haden during my mid-late teens on Ornette Coleman’s The Shape Of Jazz To Come. At the time my ears were drawn to Ornette's playing and it wasn't until years later that I started coming to grips with the importance of Haden in this music. It’s an album that I’ll write about separately at a later date.

He was brought to my attention again a couple of years later on Lee Konitz’ Alone Together (Blue Note). This album got some serious airplay in 1999-2001. I was transcribing Lee’s solo on “What Is This Thing Called Love?” and my saxophone teacher challenged me, saying something along the lines of, “Why? What are you going to learn from that?” – I didn’t know what to say! Haden’s backing of Konitz (and Brad Mehldau) is superb – not a wasted note on the entire album. The same can be said for his solos to. I heard a Konitz/Haden duo set was recorded but I have never managed to track it down (I found a pic of the album cover somewhere online years ago). If anybody out there can direct me to it I’d be extremely grateful.

I only heard Haden in person once – a duo with Paul Bley at the Blue Note in NYC in 2009. I could only afford to sit at the bar, where they crammed us in like sardines. It was a pretty disappointing listening experience and put me off going to the Blue Note again (it was my first time there). I spent the evening squeezed in the corner unable to see the bandstand and having to put plenty of chatter around me. However, I had no complaints about the music.

Here are links to just a few of the many tributes: Nate Chinen at the New York Times, the Free Jazz Collective Blog, NPR Remembering Charlie Haden.

Lee Konitz: An Image

Lee Konitz with Strings: An Image (reissued on Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre)

Last semester I took a class about “West Coast/Cool/Third Stream.“ The class led me to revisit this album recorded back in 1958. Although there are a few standards (“Round Midnight,” “I Got It Bad” and “What’s New”) on the album they don’t fall into the cheesy “jazz with strings” category, there is the three-part “Music For Alto Saxophone and Strings” (this does incorporate the rhythm section) and the seven-part “An Image Of Man” (just Konitz and strings – including Billy Bauer). The album has quite a sparse feel, openness to it... uncluttered. Bill Russo’s writing throughout keeps things interesting and Lee sounds great on it - I’d forgotten how great... very lyrical and the recording captures his tone wonderfully. The Russo/Konitz combination is a good one  - they both have plenty of common ground. Aside from both being students of Tristano, when the two were with Kenton they used to hang out listening to string quartets from Bartok, Debussy and Ravel. This album made a big impact on me when I first heard it (around 1999/2000) – it had been ages since I listened to it and I’m glad I got back into it.

While I’m on the subject of Konitz, a few of his album featured in the “The Top 50 Alto Sax Recordings of All Time” from Jazz Times (June) with Motion, Live at The Half Note, Subconscious-Lee making the list. Konitz was also singled out by Phil Woods (Jazz Nocturne), Jaleel Shaw & Miguel Zenon (Motion), Grace Kelly (Live at Half Note) and JayBeckenstein (The Lee Konitz Duets) in their lists of favourite alto sax albums.

There was no place for Konitz in Down Beat’s “80 Coolest Things In Jazz Today”... not even in the “Living Masters” category.

Recent Listening: End of 2013

It has been a while since I last checked in. Here are a few albums that have been making the rounds.

When I stumbled upon Owls Talk (Hote Marge 2010) I had know idea who Alexandra Grimal was. It was the other personnel that grabbed my eye - Gary Peacock (b) Paul Motian (d) & Lee Konitz (as). Grimal splits time between tenor and soprano, and I feel the latter suits her best. Lyrical and open interplay from all, plenty of space and in general the album has an unhurried feel to it. Very nice recorded sound too.

Le Vent et la Gorge (Leo 2012) is the latest from the Frank Gratkowski Quartet with Gratkowski  (as/cl/b.cl/contrabass cl) Wolter Wierbos (tb) Dieter Manderschied (b) Gerry Hemingway (d).

The first part of the album is the 8-part suite "Harm-oh-nie," mixing up composed and improvised material -which at times is very hard to differentiate (a good thing). The piece tends to alter movements of held notes/multiphonics/harmonics/glissandi with more rhythmically aggressive movements. The movements are quite short, most fall between 3 and 5 minutes and this helps keep things moving.

The second part of the album is made up of four pieces, three of which are longer works (between 9 and 17 minutes) - I have only given these an initial listen. Perhaps I will report back once I've spent some more time with them. I'm sure the quartet members long association together (formed from the Gratkowski trio in 2000)  plays a role in the ensemble sound they create. This blurb from Gratkowski's website sums up the group well, "In the music of the quartet, I am trying to form a synthesis of composition and improvisation where all instruments have equal functions to build a unified whole."

The Rock On The Hill (Nato 2011) by the trio Lol Coxhill (ss) Barre Phillips (b) JT Bates (d) has been as nice surprise. It has only been in the last year that I have started listening to Coxhill and I find his playing quite fascinating. Not nearly as virtuosic as Steve Lacy or Evan Parker but he is most definitely his own man. There's something about his tone that draws me in. The seven improvisations that make up the album move through moments that are lyrical, abstract, calm, minimal, light, and there's even some groove in there. It's an album with plenty of space and the trio work very well together with Coxhill & Phillips taking the lead. A good one to check out if you have an interest in less frenetic free improvising.

Questionnaire

I lifted this questionnaire straight from bassist Ronan Guilfoyle's blog Mostly Music (he adapted it slightly from Ethan Iverson's blog Do The Math). 

It's a few years old but I thought it would fun to fill out. I tried not to spend a lot of time making my choices - here's where they stand at this time.

Here's part one & two from Ronan's blog.

Give us an example or two of an especially good or interesting:
1. Melody: 

J.S Bach: St. Matthew Passion - "Aus Liebe Will Mein Heiland Sterben" The recording I know best has beautiful ensemble playing with Barbara Schlick's soprano voice.

Early Lee Konitz (as a leader and with Tristano Sextet/Birth of the Cool/with Kenton etc) 

2. Harmonic language: 
Connie Crothers
Hayden Chisholm: saxophone works such as "Love In Numbers" & "Auto Poetica."

3. Rhythmic feel: 
Jo Jones/Walter Page/Freddie Green
Billie Holiday/Lester Young - individually & together
Ken Filiano/Roger Mancuso - great pairing I've hear live a few times. There are a couple of recordings here & here that feature them.

4. Classical piece: 
Bach Two Part Inventions
Bartok String Quartets

5. Jazz album: 
Lennie Tristano: Intuition (Capitol)
Billie Holiday: Columbia Recordings

6. Book on music: 
Steve Lacy: Findings

7. Name a great recording by someone that has influenced you:
Bill Payne & Connie Crothers: Conversations (now part of the 2cd package - The Stone Set).
Lester Young: Kansas City Sessions. The first 10 tracks (from 1938) are gems.

8. Name someone whose music has influenced you, but that people who know your music would probably be surprised by: 
Evan Parker.

Many seem surprised when I tell them how much I enjoy Frank Sinatra.

9. Name a player on your instrument whom you think is very underrated: 
Hayden Chisholm (as/ss)
Richard Tabnik (as) 
Lenny Popkin(ts)
Steve Lacy (!) Ok, so this one may be a bit contentious - but I feel he is. Most people focus on the sidebars of the soprano (it's still a novelty to many) and his embrace of Monk's music and forget the original approach he brought to the music.

Feel free to send in your answers.

In the original, Ethan Iverson threw in a few more: 
- Movie Score
- T.V Theme
- Hip-Hop Track
- Smash Hit
- Non-American Folkloric Group
- Name and Rock or Pop album that you'd wish had been a commercial smash hit
- Name a favorite drummer, and an album to hear why you love that drummer:  

Some of these make me wonder if he was looking for Bad Plus repertoire ideas ;-)