Lee Konitz / Paul Bley / Bill Frisell / Han Bennink - Seattle 2000

This is a pretty good audience capture of a great quartet - or rather, of various combinations of four great musicians.

Lee Konitz had to cancel a gig (at Boston's Regattabar), but he seems to be on the way to recovery. The lastest news I have is Frank Kimbrough's comment here. I certainly hope Lee will hang in there. It seems Konitz caught a pneumonia. Actually, he's scheduled to play Birdland from tonight through to Sunday night. I certainly hope he's well again and will play! Any news and reports (and concert captures, too!) are most welcome!

Bud Powell, Miles Davis, Lee Konitz and Art Blakey at Birdland (photo: Marcel Fleiss)

Lee's voice is one of the most personal ones on alto sax ever, dry, witty, and what I admire most is him being a totally non-licks player, always inventing new lines on the spot, no matter what old chestnut (or Tristano favourite) he happens to play.
I was also fortunate enough to see him live once, about ten years back, when he was touring with the "Three Guys" (Konitz-Swallow-Motian). He played with no amplification, no mic, no nothing, while Motian (whom I only knew from Bill Evans' trio back then and expected a soft, melodic colourist...) happily bashed away. Yet Lee's sound and presence was immense and powerful, even though his tone was a delicate as always... (stories about Prez soaring away on top of the Basie band come to memory).

Art Pepper & Lee Konitz at Donte's, 1982

Here, Lee's mates are Bill Frisell, Paul Bley (an on-and-off collaborator for a while), as well as the great Han Bennink. Frisell, btw, has appeared on what was one of my favourite jazz albums for a long time, Angel Song, with Konitz, Kenny Wheeler and Dave Holland. Konitz sounds warm and full-toned in that setting - I remember the recording as being exceptionally warm and intimate, not quite the rule with ECM.

Here's a short write-up about Lee, on jazz.com

Please note that the folder is named wrongly - this is from the 2000 Earshot festival (billed as "Bill Frisell w/Konitz, Bley, Peacock"). The files you'll download are erroneously named 1990!

Finally, please help filling the gaps in the setlist if you know more than I do!

Lee with Ohad Talmor in a more recent photo by Nicolas Masson

Lee Konitz/Paul Bley/Bill Frisell/Han Bennink
Earshot Jazz Festival
Seattle, WA (USA), On the Boards
October 24, 2000

Lee Konitz - alto sax
Paul Bley - piano
Bill Frisell - guitar
Han Bennink - drums

CD1/51:39
1. Stage Intro (0:58)
2. The Song Is You (7:30) [LK solo]
3. Body and Soul (10:35) [LK/BF duo]
4. unknown (8:50) [PB solo]
5. unknown (15:06) [HB solo]
6. unknown (8:42) [PB/BF duo]

CD2/64:40
1. Stage Intro (0:26)
2. All The Things You Are (7:20) [LK/PB duo]
3. I Can't Get Started (6:49) [LK/PB duo]
4. unknown (20:13) [BF/HB duo]
5. Improvisation (incl. Donkey & Ornithology) 23:59 [quartet]
6. Misterioso (5:54) [BF/HB duo]

TT: 116:19

Sound: A-
Source: audience recording
Lineage: cdr in trade--eac--flac level 6--dime.