We all love Motion here, and the duo with Red has made the rounds. This one might be off the radar here, with the great East German virtuoso double bassist Klaus Koch. Konitz at least made enough great music for ten lifetimes!
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Double Bass RIP Lee Konitz
- Thread starter damonsmith
- Start date
RIP. The one time I got to play with him back in 2009 was a blast. And those classic records will never grow old.
Saw him twice with Paul Bley...once with Steve Swallow, once with Larry Grenadier. Not only a great player but also really funny. He opened the night with Swallow by playing a beautiful intro and then noone else came in...Bley had his hands in his lap...and Konitz stopped, stepped to the mike and said "Can everyone hear the piano OK?". At the top of the second set, Konitz and Swallow were on stage and Bley was nowhere to be seen. Konitz announced "Paul will be here once he's finished writing out all his solos."
He had one of the most distinctive and personal sounds I've ever heard, like Miles and Monk and Benny Carter and Art Pepper you knew who it was in one note. I last saw him on his 90th birthday, and the sound was all still there plus a lot of singing. It's amazing to think that Conception is 70 years old.
I once was talking to an alto player on a gig and said that I was having a hard time figuring out how to not sound corny on tunes like All Of Me, and he said “Go listen to Lee Konitz.” RIP. Another victim of this lousy virus.
Was the gig with Grenadier at the Regattabar around 2002-2003? If so, I was there for one night and it was great music. If I remember correctly, Konitz started every tune unaccompanied. Gary Peacock was originally supposed to be on that gig but had to cancel due too health reasons. I was so psyched to see Peacock in a small room (at least not symphony hall...) but Grenadier fit well with the music. Different but good. Anyway, Konitz was a true original. RIP
What a loss. He had such a beautiful tone and style. Check out the album Angel Song he made with Kenny Wheeler, Bill Frisell and Dave Holland. One of my favorite late night albums ever.
