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Alto Saxophonist Lee Konitz has enjoyed one of the most creative and prolific careers in modern jazz. After an early experience with the Claude Thornhill Orchestra (arranged by Gil Evans), Stan Kenton’s Orchestra, the innovative small groups of pianist Lennie Tristano, and the Miles Davis Capitol Orchestra (aka Miles Davis Tuba Band), Konitz turned freelance and has remained on the cutting edge of post-bop improvisation ever since. He has occasionally led a nonet (now resurrected!) and various quartets, but his exceptionally large and varied discography also includes an early unaccompanied saxophone solo album, several innovative albums of duets that spanned jazz styles, and collaborations which reads like the "who’s who” of the Jazz world. Lee Konitz is the only still active musician to have played all three ever excisting Birdland clubs in New York City. Like Gil Evans or Coleman Hawkins Lee has always been open and interested to play with younger musicans and ti participate in exciting new musical projects co-lead by them (like the Lee Konitz New Nonet or the Lee Konitz-Ohad Talmor String Project). A new book about Lee Konitz (by Andy Hamilton) was published in 2007. He has received the NEA Jazz Masters Award the following year. Recently Lee Konitz has performed in a duo with
pianist Dan Tepfer and with the trio Minsarah (now part of his New Quartet). Lee was voted "Alto
Saxophonist of the Year" by Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll in 2010. PROJECTS: Lee Konitz Special Trios Lee Konitz New Quartet Lee Konitz New Nonet Lee Konitz-Ohad Talmor String Project Lee Konitz & Dan Tepfer Duo Lee Konitz & Walter Lang Duo Lee Konitz & Matt Wilson Duo SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY: Birth of the Cool (with Miles Davis) Capitol Records 1949/50 Free Forms (with Ralph Burns) Verve Records 1951 Requiem (with Lennie Tristano) Atlantic Records 1955 The Real Lee Konitz, Atlantic Records 1957 Lee Konitz With String "An Image" Verve Records 1958 Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre, Verve Records 1959 Lee Konitz "Motion" with Elvin Jones, Sonny Dallas, Verve Records 1961 The Lee Konitz Duets, Milestone Records 1967 Spirits (with Sal Mosca) Milestone Records 1971 Lee Konitz Nonet, Chiaroscuro Records 1977 Heroes/Anti Heroes (with Gil Evans) Verve 1980 In Concert (with Chet Baker) India Navigation Records 1982 Dovetail (with Harold Danko/Jay Leonhart) Sunny Side Records 1983 Art of the Duo (with Albert Mangelsdorff) Enja Records 1989 Three Guys (with Steve Swallow/Paul Motian) Enja Records 1999 Lee Konitz (with Brad Mehldau and Charlie Haden), Blue Note
Records 1997 Sounds of Surprise (Lee Konitz Trio plus one) RCA Victor 1999 Lee Konitz-Ohad Talmor & Axis String Quartet, Palmetto Records 2000 Lee Konitz & Matt Wilson, Gong With The Wind, Steeple Chase 2002 Lee Konitz New Nonet (directed by Ohad Talmor), Omnitone Records 2006 Lee Konitz-Ohad Talmor String Project, Inventions, Omnitone Records 2006 Lee Konitz Big Band/Orquestra Jazz Matosinhos, Portology, Omnitone Records 2006 Lee Konitz & Walter Lang, Ashiya, Pirouet Records 2007 Lee Konitz & Minsarah, Deep Lee, Enja Records 2008 Dan Tepfer "Duos with
Lee", Sunnyside 2009 Lee Konitz New Quartet "Live at the Village Vanguard", Enja Records 2010
Konitz/Mehldau/Haden/Motian "Live at Birdland", ECM Records 2011
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