Warning: This record might not be for every Guitar Player reader. For the second time in this column’s history, I’m veering off the well-traveled road of strings to share an album I love that features a different instrument.
Recorded in 1961 and released on Verve Records that same year, Motion by saxophonist/composer Lee Konitz is an example of post-bop and features Elvin Jones on drums and Sonny Dallas on bass. Konitz has a great body of work, but Motion remains one of my favorite records and holds a steady place in my desert island top 10.
Lee Konitz was born in 1927 and was part of New York City’s cool-jazz scene in the ’40s and ’50s. Over a long and distinguished career, the now 92-year-old saxophonist has played with Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, Stan Kenton, Jim Hall and Bill Frisell, to name a few.
Konitz also made a lasting impression on Paul Desmond and Art Pepper and was an influence on the West Coast jazz sound. Notably, he played and studied with pianist Lennie Tristano, who played a significant role in Konitz's musicality and is famous among guitarists for having taught Joe Satriani.
Tristano is himself a fascinating subject. A great piano instrumentalist and a dedicated teacher, he would share his insights at workshops held in his apartment, gatherings so casual that he’d deliver them in his pajamas. The act of musical artists convening as a community to work on their craft is a great feature of New York City’s history.
At these workshops, Tristano often had the performers compose new melodies over the familiar progressions of jazz standards. This ingredient is a vital element on Motion, and it is evident in Konitz's artistry. I’ve often found myself singing along with his solos.
Motion’s tracks play like a great five-course meal, and each seems like a continuation of the other. Konitz's trio leaves the confines of progression to make each tune sound like a linear exploration.
The listener might not recognize the opening track as “I Remember You” until Konitz hints at the original melody in the last few bars. On “Fooling Myself,” he plays supportively while Dallas stretches out the time and harmony via chromaticism.
On Cole Porter’s “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To,” the trio swings hard and makes the standard feel free and unabashed, while “All of Me” is essentially a blank canvas for the group’s energized and electric improvisations. Konitz's melodies are extemporaneous and captivating, yet all the while he keeps a watchful eye on elegance and melody.
When I listen to Motion, I feel like I’m hearing three people think simultaneously. Both Dallas and Jones contribute greatly to the music, with the drummer showing a subtle driving restraint throughout, while the bassist makes his instrument loud and clear as a distinct voice.
Motion probably isn’t for everyone, and Konitz and his band certainly wouldn’t be contenders on America’s Got Talent. That said, if you can have an open mind and experience the music without the constraint of trying to understand it, you stand to enjoy an involvement with it that is wonderful and intimate. To me, Motion has some of the most listenable post-bop I’ve ever heard, and I always go back to it for both inspiration and guidance.
Konitz is quoted as saying he could easily practice “All the Things You Are” exclusively, every single day. That’s easy to understand. He has always remained curious in his artistry, willing to challenge himself and listen for the infinite possibilities that exist in the music. I recommend Motion to anyone interested in jazz or just great improvised music.
* This article was originally published here
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