LEE KONITZ - Subconscious-Lee (1955-1992) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A debut for both Lee Konitz and the Prestige label, Subconscious-Lee brings together many of the students who came through Lennie Tristano's idiosyncratic "school" of jazz during the immediate postwar years. Forging a heady approach to Charlie Parker's innovations, full of lithe and at times super fast solo lines, Tristano and his favorite pupil Konitz in particular nurtured an introverted, wan, yet still swinging alternative to the frenetic muscle of bebop. Other students like tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, pianist Sal Mosca, and bassist Arnold Fishkin staked claims as well and show up prominently here. And while Tristano's "Judy" and "Retrospection" get mired in somewhat tired contemplation, Konitz' "Subconscious-Lee" and Marsh's "Marshmallow" stand out with brisk tempos, cascading horn lines, and fetching head statements. Avoiding the meandering course of his originals, Tristano shines at the piano with a bevy of exciting and substantial solos; Mosca and guitarist Billy Bauer keep up the good work with fine contributions of their own. Good for both mind and feet and chock-full of groundbreaking work by Konitz and Marsh especially, this 1949-1950 recording makes for essential jazz listening. [One bonus track, "Progression," is added to this version of Subconscious-Lee.] Stephen Cook  
Tracklist :
1     Progression 3:02
Lee Konitz
2     Tautology 2:45
Lee Konitz
3     Retrospection 3:09
Lennie Tristano
4     Subconcious-Lee 2:49
Lee Konitz
5     Judy 2:56
Lennie Tristano
6     Marshmallow 2:55
Warne Marsh
7     Fishin' Around 3:47
Warne Marsh
8    Tautology 2:56
Lee Konitz
9     Sound-Lee 4:08
Lee Konitz
10     Rebecca 3:05
Lee Konitz
11     You Go to My Head 2:38
J. Fred Coots
12     Ice Cream Konitz 2:45
Lee Konitz
13     Palo Alto 2:31
Lee Konitz
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Arnold Fishkin (tracks: 1 to 9, 11 to 13)
Drums – Denzil Best (tracks: 6, 7), Jeff Morton (tracks: 8, 9, 11 to 13), Shelly Manne (tracks: 1 to 4)
Guitar – Billy Bauer (tracks: 1 to 5, 10 to 13)
Piano – Lennie Tristano (tracks: 1 to 5), Sal Mosca (tracks: 6 to 9, 12, 13)
Remastered By [Digital Remastering, 1991] – Phil De Lancie
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh (tracks: 6 to 9)
Notas.
Selections #1-5 recorded January 11, 1949; #6-7 June 28, 1949; #8-9: September 27, 1949; #10-13: April 7, 1950. All selections recorded in New York.
The "Progression" originally issued on Subconscious-Lee was mistitled; it was in fact "Tautology." The real "Progression," which is included in this CD as a bonus track, was previously released in the twofer 25 Years of Prestige (P-24046).

LEE KONITZ | WARNE MARSH - Lee Konitz with Warne Marsh (1955-1998) Atlantic Original Sound | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Altoist Lee Konitz and tenor-saxophonist Warne Marsh always made for a perfect team. Even by the mid-'50s when they were not as influenced by Lennie Tristano as previously (particularly Konitz), their long melodic lines and unusual tones caused them to stand out from the crowd. On this LP reissue Konitz and Marsh co-lead a particularly strong group that also includes pianist Sal Mosca, guitarist Billy Bauer, bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Kenny Clarke. Their renditions of "originals" based on common chord changes along with versions of "Topsy," "There Will Never Be Another You" and "Donna Lee" are quite enjoyable and swing hard yet fall into the category of cool jazz. This set is worth searching for, as are all of the Konitz-Marsh collaborations. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Topsy 5:29
Edgar Battle / Eddie Durham
2     There Will Never Be Another You 4:49   
Harry Warren
3     I Can't Get Started 3:58
Vernon Duke
4     Donna Lee 6:17
Charlie Parker
5     Two Not One 5:35
Lennie Tristano
6     Don't Squawk 7:20
Oscar Pettiford
7     Ronnie's Line 3:10
Ronnie Ball
8     Background Music 5:45
Warne Marsh
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Oscar Pettiford
Drums – Kenny Clarke
Guitar – Billy Bauer
Piano – Ronnie Ball (tracks: 7), Sal Mosca (tracks: 2, 4 to 6, 8)
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh

LEE KONITZ - Inside Hi-Fi (1957-1999) HDCD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This excellent recording (part of their 1987 Jazzlore series) features altoist Lee Konitz with two separate quartets during 1956. Either guitarist Billy Bauer or pianist Sal Mosca are the main supporting voices in groups also including either Arnold Fishkind or Peter Ind on bass and Dick Scott on drums. The most unusual aspect to the set is that on the four selections with Mosca, Konitz switches to tenor, playing quite effectively in a recognizable cool style. The overall highlights of this enjoyable album are "Everything Happens to Me," "All of Me," and "Star Eyes," but all eight performances are well played and swinging. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Kary's Trance 6:09
Lee Konitz
2     Everything Happens to Me 4:31
Tom Adair / Matt Dennis
3     Sweet and Lovely 4:03
Gus Arnheim / Jules LeMare / Harry Tobias
4     Cork 'N' Bib 5:30
Lee Konitz
5     All of Me 5:11
Gerald Marks / Seymour Simons
6     Star Eyes 5:22
Gene DePaul / Don Raye
7     Nesuhi's Instant 5:09
Peter Ind
8     (Back Home Again In) Indiana 5:18
James F. Hanley / Ballard MacDonald
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz (tracks: 1 to 4)
Bass – Arnold Fishkin (tracks: 1 to 4), Peter Ind (tracks: 5 to 8)
Drums – Dick Scott (tracks: 1 to 8)
Guitar – Billy Bauer (tracks: 1 to 4)
Piano – Sal Mosca (tracks: 5 to 8)
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Lee Konitz (tracks: 5 to 8)

LEE KONITZ - Very Cool (1957-1990) RM | MONO | Serie : Verve Best 50 Part II – 83 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Sunflower 8:05
Written-By – Don Ferrara
2    Stairway To The Stars 5:21
Written-By – Signorelli, Malneck, Parish
3    Movin' Around 7:47
Written-By – Don Ferrara
4    Kary's Trance 7:11
Written-By – Lee Konitz
5    Crazy She Calls Me 7:24
Written By – Meyer/Kahn/Caesar
Written-By [Uncredited] – Bob Russell, Carl Sigman
6    Billie's Bounce 6:10
Written-By – C. Parker
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Peter Ind
Drums – Shadow Wilson
Piano – Sal Mosca
Producer [Original Sessions] – Norman Granz
Trumpet – Don Ferrara
Notas.
Recorded NYC, May 5, 1957.
Track 5 is miscredited to Meyer/Kahn/Caesar, the writers of "Crazy Rhythm".

LEE KONITZ - Spirits (1971-1999) RM | Serie : Original Jazz Classics | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Altoist Lee Konitz revisits his roots in pianist Lennie Tristano's music on this enjoyable recording from 1971. Four of the nine songs are duets with pianist Sal Mosca (who always sounded a lot like Tristano) while the five other pieces add bassist Ron Carter and drummer Mousie Alexander to the group. Konitz performs three of his own compositions, five by Tristano and one from tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh; typically all of these originals are based closely on the chord changes (and sometimes the melodies) of familiar standards. Despite that lack of originality, this is excellent music and finds altoist Lee Konitz in creative form. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Baby 4:23
Lennie Tristano
2     Dreams 5:12
Lennie Tristano
3     Two Not One 5:35
Lennie Tristano
4     Hugo's Head 3:39
Lee Konitz
5     Background Music 3:59
Warne Marsh
6     Lennie-Bird 4:37
Lennie Tristano
7     Wow 4:26
Lennie Tristano
8     Kary's Trance 6:29
Lee Konitz
9     Another 'Nother 6:07
Lee Konitz
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Mousey Alexander
Piano – Sal Mosca (tracks: 3, 4, 6, 9)
Producer – Dick Katz, Orrin Keepnews

LENNIE TRISTANO | LEE KONITZ | WARNE MARSH - The Complete Atlantic Recordings of Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz & Warne Marsh (1997) 6CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Pianist Lennie Tristano was an early inspiration and a major influence on the playing of altoist Lee Konitz and tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh. Their very notable and highly original Capitol recordings of 1949 -- with the quiet metronomic rhythm section, advanced melodic improvising, and reharmonizations -- stood apart from the typical bop of the period. By 1955, when the earliest performances on this 1997 limited-edition, six-CD set were recorded, the trio was not working together very often; in fact, Tristano was mostly functioning as a teacher, only surfacing for occasional records and club dates. Despite the title of the box, Tristano, Konitz, and Marsh never all appeared on the same Atlantic record. However, their individual projects and collaborations during the era were of consistently high quality. Included on the set are a live quartet date with Konitz and Tristano, a couple of the pianist's solo and trio sessions (including a few controversial items where he overdubbed and even sped up piano parts), several Konitz quartet sets (with such sidemen as pianists Sal Mosca and Jimmy Rowles, and guitarist Billy Bauer), a Marsh trio/quartet album, and a stimulating meeting between Konitz and Marsh (with Mosca and Bauer) in a sextet. Four of the performances were previously unreleased, and one of the Konitz albums was formerly only available in Japan. Although the inventive music often utilizes familiar chord changes, there are plenty of surprises in the cool-toned solos, and this is well worth acquiring by bop collectors. Scott Yanow
All Tracks & Credits :