6/10/09

Lee Konitz/Lennie Tristano Project @ the Tugboat


This Saturday my Lee Konitz/Lennie Tristano Project will be playing at the Tugboat Brewing Co. This group hasn't performed since the Cave closed and Dan Gaynor moved to NYC, but since Dan was back in town for a visit we decided to dust off all of our insanely difficult Konitz and Tristano (and a few Warne Marsh) charts for another show.

The band features myself on alto, Tim Wilcox on tenor, Dan Gaynor on piano, Alan Jones on drums, and Andrew Jones (who moved to town just a few months ago from Phoenix) on bass.

The music that Lennie Tristano and his students Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh wrote and played was some of the most unique, progressive, and interesting music in the history of Jazz. This groundbreaking music has never gotten the widespread recognition that it deserves. The main reason more Jazz musicians don't play these great compositions today is because they're just so difficult. Every time we perform this material I have to practice everything all over again!

Here's a tune called Dixie's Dilemma written by Warne Marsh (transcriber by Dan Gaynor) over the changes of All the Things You Are. The story is that Warne got involved in a sticky situation with an underage girl named Dixie. This chart is for two altos and was transcribed from the Lee Konitz Quintet record with Bob Mover, who was in his early twenties at the time.





(click on the graphics below for larger printable charts)
Dixie's Dilemma mp3 (From Warne Marsh's Intuiton album)





3 comments:

Canoxa said...

Legends, legends they were. Thank you for paying tribute. Any recordings possible?

Unknown said...

I would second Luis' comments. The first time I heard their album " Intuition " I was amazed. I had never heard 2 sax player interact like they did and boy did they swing. I don't even play sax but felt their phrasing was a lesson in how to communicate through an instrument whether sax or guitar. And let's not forget Tristano's piano work here. I'd love to hear a recording also of your gig!

Owen Summers said...

That Lee and Mover album is really special. Thanks for posting the tune.