Home » Jazz Articles » Radio & Podcasts » Lennie Tristano and Lee Konitz: Proto-Cool (1946 - 1955)

Lennie Tristano and Lee Konitz: Proto-Cool (1946 - 1955)

By Russell Perry | Jazz at 100
June 7, 2019
Sign in to view read count

Click the play button to listen

Pianist Lennie Tristano was a very visible participant in the modern jazz innovations of the mid-1940s through the early 1950s, winning polls and participating in all-star jam sessions. Yet his music was always a little outside the mainstream and was increasingly so as he began to experiment with fully improvised performances by 1947. While his focus on low dynamics and long flowing lines has been seen as a precursor of the cool school that arose early in the 1950s, the better argument may be made that Tristano created an intellectual setting for the free jazz to come.

Playlist

Host Intro 0:00
Lennie Tristano Trio. "I Can't Get Started" from Smithsonian Collection of Jazz Piano (Smithsonian) 3:15
Host speaks 6:10
Lennie Tristano Trio. "Atonement" from Intuition (Proper) 7:50
Host speaks 10:17
Lennie Tristano Sextet. "Wow" from Intuition (Proper) 11:40
Host speaks 15:00
Lennie Tristano Sextet. "Subconscious Lee" from Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz (Smithsonian) 16:17
Lennie Tristano Sextet. "Crosscurrents" from Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz (Smithsonian) 19:02
Host speaks 21:52
Lennie Tristano Quintet. "Intuition" from Intuition (Proper) 23:47
Lennie Tristano Quintet. "Digression" from Intuition (Proper) 26:13
Host speaks 29:13
Lennie Tristano Trio. "Line Up" from Lennie Tristano (Atlantic) 30:00
Lennie Tristano Trio. "Turkish Mambo" from Lennie Tristano (Atlantic) 33:33
Host speaks 37:01
Lee Konitz Quintet. "Tautology" from Subconscious-Lee (Prestige) 39:22
Lee Konitz Quintet. "Fishin' Around" from Subconscious-Lee (Prestige) 42:16
Host speaks 46:00
Lee Konitz Quintet. "Progression" from Subconscious-Lee (Prestige) 46:47
Lee Konitz Quintet. "Judy" from Subconscious-Lee (Prestige) 49:45
Host speaks 52:36
Lee Konitz -Billy Bauer Duo. "Rebecca" from Subconscious-Lee (Prestige) 52:54
Host Outro 55:56

< Previous
Keith Fiala: From Maynard to the Maestro

Next >
Focused and Bewildered

Comments

About Lennie Tristano

Instrument: Piano

Tags

For the Love of Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.