#leekonitz

This was Konitz’s first recording for Blue Note Records. The album was recorded at the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, in December 1996.

Chesky Records has, for a small independent audiophile record label, recorded some big names in the world of jazz under recording conditions very different from those these artists were used to. The results have been uniformly excellent. Take this 2001 SACD, "Parallels" by the great Lee Konitz. Konitz can trace his jazz roots back to the late 1940's when he was a part of Miles Davis "Birth Of The Cool" recording sessions. Since then, Konitz has gone his own way in the jazz world playing and learning from the likes of Lenny Tristiano and others. Today, along with Sonny Rollins, Konitz is one of the living legends in the jazz community. Here, 16 years ago, when still a vital force of nature, Konitz lead this session with the help of Peter Bernstein, Steve Gilmore, Billy Goodwin and Mark Turner for Chesky. With the sound being fully as important as the music on this recording session (as befits a Chesky recording), Konitz still pull a rabbit out of his hat and lays down a session that musically can stand on its own, and, thanks to Chesky, offers sound that has seldom been achieved by normal recording standards. The instruments sound fully fleshed out and real, and there's a sense of space not usually heard. Plus it's easy to tell that these takes were laid down with all the musicians playing together. While the music isn't as challenging as many of Konitz recordings, being more straight ahead jazz, they nonetheless showcase Konitz tremendous abilities. Yes, this, as with all Chesky recordings, was captured in high resolution PCM. But before you purists go and get your panties in a wad, just give this SACD a listen and hear how well those high-rez tapes transferred to DSD. I know I'll never turn my nose up at any Chesky SACD for sonic reasons. This disc comes with my highest recommendation. #SACD #jazz #music #Chesky #LeeKonitz #album #digital #stereo #audio #highend #audiophile

Lee Konitz at Storyville  is a live album by Lee Konitz featuring performances recorded in at the Storyville nightclub Boston in 1954. Lee Konitz – alto saxophone Ronnie Ball – piano Percy Heath – bass Al Levitt – drums

Lee Konitz – You Go To My Head (1950)

A giant of the alto saxophone and a key figure in jazz history is dead at 92

Lee Konitz and Charlie Parker, 1953

The Penguin Guide to Jazz gives the album a four-star rating plus a special “crown” accolade and includes it as part of a selected “Core Collection”, stating that it is “one of the great modern jazz records”.

Photo Martial Solal by Tikemyson via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain