A Rare Lee Konitz Take

 Alto saxophonist Lee Konitz (1927-2020) was one of the finest improvisers in jazz history. His style was unique: light-toned, thoughtful, and meticulous. He once said that when he heard himself playing a phrase he had already played, he would take the horn out of his mouth. 

Without going into clichés about "cool jazz," I'll point out that Konitz was associated with Lennie Tristano and his circle in his early career. His recordings for the Prestige label show the Tristano influence strongly. A recording session from March 8, 1951 has some Tristano-like features, but also shows Konitz moving away from his teacher's shadow, notably by the inclusion of two George Russell compositions.

One title from this session is unusual. Two takes of "Yesterdays" survive, and one of them was issued only on the original 78 - Prestige 755. All subsequent issues of this session use a take of "Yesterdays" with Miles Davis playing an introduction and coda. Miles is not present on the 78  issue. This leads me to believe that the trumpet-less take was issued in error, since Miles's name is listed on the label.

In any case, this take has never been reissued, and I can't find it anywhere on the web. The overall feel of the side is similar to the more familiar version, but Konitz's improvisation is very different. There is some interesting (and quite Tristano-esque) interplay between the saxophone, piano, and guitar - an aspect that is much more subdued on the commonly-known take.

So here it is: a rare recording by Lee Konitz - perhaps the rarest of his commercially issued sides. For context's sake, I have also included the other side of the record, "Duet for Saxophone and Guitar." This quite abstract piece has been reissued many times.

Yesterdays

Lee Konitz - alto saxophone; Sal Mosca - piano; Billy Bauer - guitar; Arnold Fishkin - bass; March 8, 1951

Duet for Saxophone and Guitar

Lee Konitz - alto saxophone; Billy Bauer - guitar; March 13, 1951