LEE KONITZ
The Real Lee Konitz (32 Jazz)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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By the time this album was recorded in 1957, Lee Konitz had laid down some pretty impressive tracks, including sessions with his mentor Lennie Tristano, with Miles Davis' Birth Of The Cool nonet and as a leader in his own right. This was the one, though, that he tagged as the best recorded representation of his sound to date. Recorded live during a show at Pittsburgh's Midway Lounge, Konitz leads a unit featuring Billy Bauer (guitar), Peter Ind (bass) and Dick Scott (drums), with Don Ferrara sitting in on trumpet for a pair of tracks. Like Konitz, Bauer and Ind were Tristano alumnae, and Scott and Ferrara proved to have a similar feel for improvisation.

One of the reasons that Konitz favored this album was the control he exercised over the final release. Dissatisfied with some of the solos, whether his or others, he took the liberty to retain only what he liked, even when that meant using only a partial cut (as on "Sweet And Lovely," which is truncated by a fade out at 2:15, in the middle of his own solo, and "Midway," which is joined at some point in progress and chopped somewhat short). While those decisions ultimately affected only three of the eight tracks (the third so edited is "Straightaway"), they insured that every track is nothing but what Lee Konitz wanted us to hear. And what he wanted us to hear was a set featuring brilliant improvisation, including some outstanding work by bassist Ind on "Foolin' Myself" and "Pennies In Minor," terrific interplay between Konitz' alto and Ferrara's trumpet on "Pennies" and "Sweet And Lovely" and a version of "My Melancholy Baby" that's anything but melancholy.

Konitz has been accused of playing cool to the point of sounding cold, but that's not an accusation that could be aimed at anything on The Real Lee Konitz. You can tell he and his compatriots enjoyed this one by the enjoyment it's sure to bring to you.

Track List: Straightaway * Foolin' Myself * My Melancholy Baby * Pennies In Minor * Sweet And Lovely * Easy Livin' * Midway

© 1999 - Shaun Dale