5.0 out of 5 stars
Unbelievably good, October 25, 2009
This review is from: Lee Konitz With Warne Marsh (Dig) (Audio CD)
You kind of have to like the Tristano" school of jazz. It is ultra cool. The two most famous and arguably best proponents of this school of jazz are Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh. You will also see works by Sal Mosca and Billy Bauer. The latter two are also very good, but Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh are special.
Wait till you hear these guys play the coda to Donna Lee. It is hot in terms of the bebop tune itself which requires some real chops to play, but the tone is like dry ice. (How do they do that?!) It does not have the "soul" and "heat" sound of the hard bop school typified by Art Blakey and that 1950's sound Blue Note jazz which we all really love.
These two guys know how to swing in a style that is really all their own. It is not the lily white sound of West Coast jazz played by the Kenton band members on their records. It has its own esthetic that is beyon descripton. This record gives the listener unfamiliar with Tristano's style of play in a way that is very accessible and exciting. To real jazz fans of music from the 1950's and 1960's Konitz and Marsh are really stars in their own right.
When I first got this recording, it was in the 1970's. This recording was on vinyl and devilishly difficult to find (Japanese import) and rediculously expensive. Now you can get it from Amazon for a very reasonable price. That is progress!!
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