Frescalalto
| Frescalalto | ||||
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| Studio album by Lee Konitz | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) | Impulses! Records | |||
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Format (s) |
CD |
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Title (number) |
8th |
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running time |
50:26 |
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| occupation |
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Kenny Washington |
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Studio (s) |
Avatar Studios, NY |
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Frescalalto is a jazz album by Lee Konitz . The recordings, taken on November 30th and December 1st, 2015 in the Avatar Studios in New York, were released in 2017 on Impulse! Records . It was one of the last albums that the saxophonist, who died in April 2020, released during his lifetime.
background
Frescalalto was recorded in late 2015 when Konitz was 88 years old. One experiences Konitz in a straightforward session in which he was effectively accompanied by the trio of Kenny Barron (piano), Peter Washington (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums); the latter was also the producer of the session. The quartet played well-known standards such as " Stella by Starlight ", " Cherokee " and " Out of Nowhere " as well as some Konitz originals.
Track list
- Lee Konitz: Frescalalto (Impulse! 0602557208733)
- Stella by Starlight ( Victor Young ) 9:35
- Thingin (Lee Konitz) 6:26
- Darn That Dream ( Jimmy Van Heusen ) 5:18
- Kary's Trance (Lee Konitz) 4:58
- Out of Nowhere ( Johnny Green ) 7:27
- Gundula (Lee Konitz) 3:26
- Invitation ( Bronislaw Kaper ) 9:20
- Cherokee ( Ray Noble ) 3:56
reception
In the opinion of Reinhard Köchl, who reviewed the album in Jazz thing , Konitz was given “an absolute dream team ” for his late work Frescalalto . Possibly the intention was also to give the 88-year-old hero a little inconspicuous assistance, says the author, because Konitz's tone does not only seem brittle, the intonation is sometimes uncertain and the strength is limited, so that he moves on to keep his lines simple to sing. "How Barron and the Washington, however, caught these deficits, unobtrusively compensated for them and took their great colleagues with them without exposing him, was a masterpiece par excellence."
John Fordham gave the album three (out of five) stars and praised it in the Guardian : "Not many jazz improvisers manage to remain curious, unpredictable, uncategorizable and entertaining over a six-decade career," but the 88-year-old Konitz is "A significant exception." Konitz acted without hurry and laterally melodious in "Stella by Starlight". His entry halfway through "Thingin" is perfectly timed, says Fordham. With his singing he sounds like Mark Murphy , singing “Darn That Dream” very slowly, and in the swinging “Karys Trance” he is balanced and contemplative. For Konitz fans, moments like this are fascinating, says the author - but first-time explorers of this unique artist should perhaps start a little earlier in his career.
Ian Patterson wrote in All About Jazz that since Konitz's strength inevitably wanes a little with age, Frescalalto may not be considered an essential inclusion in his extensive discography , but there is still much to enjoy in his playing - mainly the heartfelt lyricism, the masterful melodic embellishment and the sincerity that have been the cornerstones of his 70 year career.
According to Cormac Larkin ( Irish Times ), the saxophonist, who began his long career as a musician in Miles Davis ' Birth of the Cool in 1949, still proves here that he remains one of the most original and truly improvisational talents in jazz. Konitz always sounded like a man looking for the least obvious way through a standard, and here, but steadfastly avoiding clichés in a host of grizzled warhorses. Frescalalto is the sound of a venerable musical spirit, according to the author - “one of the last living connections to the classical jazz era - still sharp, still searching, still able to sound surprising”.
Peter Bacon voiced reservations about Konitz's singing qualities in London Jazz News : “I'm quite a fan of the [usually] non-singing singers - Burt Bacharach does a wonderfully urban“ Hasbrook Heights ”and Charlie Haden's “ Wayfaring Stranger ”[on The Art of the Song (1999)], for example, is a touching joy - but Konitz even goes beyond my enjoyment. ”The author can gain more from his saxophone playing; it is “the maximum that a man of his age can muster, which means being reduced to the minimum; melodically still looking for - and often finding - a new way around the familiar verses and choruses; rhythmically clever, even if it is dynamically reduced. "
Web links
- Listing of the album on Allmusic (English). Retrieved April 21, 2020.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Ian Patterson: Lee Konitz - Frescalalto. All About Jazz, May 22, 2018, accessed April 21, 2020 .
- ↑ Lee Konitz - Frescalalto at Discogs
- ↑ Reinhard Köchl: Lee Konitz - Frescalalto. Jazz thing, May 1, 2017, accessed April 21, 2020 .
- ^ John Fordham: Lee Konitz Frescalalto CD review - fascinating improv from a cool school graduate. The Guardian, February 23, 2017, accessed April 21, 2020 .
- ^ Cormac Larkin: Lee Konitz - Frescalalto. Irish Times, February 9, 2017, accessed April 21, 2020 .
- ↑ Lee Konitz - Frescalalto. London Jazz News, March 30, 2017, accessed April 26, 2020 .