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Lennie Tristano - The Duo Sessions


Ken Dryden

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From publicist Lydia Liebman:

Dot Time Records will be releasing Lennie Tristano: The Duo Sessions, a collection of exciting never-before-heard duo recordings by the jazz luminary, on March 19th.  These particularly momentous recordings highlight the pianist's stellar creative output after his final public appearance in 1968. 

The Duo Sessions features Tristano in duet with tenor saxophonist Lenny Popkin, pianist Connie Crothers (the only piano duo ever recorded by Tristano) and drummer Roger Mancuso.  Tristano presents original compositions as well as standards of the jazz idiom, documenting the further sonic exploration of one of the architects of the artform of jazz.

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From the Dot Times site:

https://www.dottimerecords.com/news/new-legends-series-featuring-jazz-icon-lennie-tristano/

Lennie Tristano’s daughter Carol Tristano exclaims “I am very happy to be working with Dot Time Records for the inclusion of Lennie Tristano in their “Legends Series”.  Lennie’s musical legacy is one of beauty and innovation.  I am excited that a treasure trove of previously unreleased music from my father will now be made available.”

Great news – perhaps there will be more to follow … there have been rumors of a variety of tapes ...

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  • 1 month later...
59 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Has this been actually released yet?

Received CD 3/29 from (my) local Amazon Japan. It was a little forbidding initially but becomes rewarding with repeated listenings and as the ear becomes attuned to the changes.  I doubt it was recorded with release in mind - rather it seems to be explorations of standards in duo settings by like-minded musicians "stretching out on the changes". Popkin's lines (explorations?) are very oblique at first hearing but gradually take shape. I'm not a fan of Mancuso and would have preferred no drummer or bass and drums. I haven't got into the 2 free tracks with Connie. Lennie, of course, is Lennie.

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Ah, Amazon Japan, ok.

Amazon US lists it as unavailable, with no ETA. Dot Time syas you can buy it now from them, but I hesitated b/c of it not being on amazon. Guess I'll try it from them, then.

The main draw for me here is the Popkin/Tristano things. I like Popkin, fringe-y as he is (in a music that is already fringe-y). I admire him for sticking with it all the way through. I can't begin to imagine what kind of emotional wherewithal anybody would have to have to go - and go strong - for decades in such an insular world...but I guess that's what they all did (and still do), created their own self-contained support-group society so they can play the music away from the rest of the world, you find them, they don't find you. Quite admirable, probably/hopefully.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Dot Time processed my order quickly and cleanly I was well-pleased in tat regard.

As regard to the record, I like it good. It's incredibly "insular", but that was kinda the whole point of the post-public Tristanoworld (imo and whether or not that was the hope, that was the result, pretty much), there's nothing "gig-like" about any of this, it's all "recital" like, in a good way, though. People playing only for and between themselves.

Popkin, yes, I like hime just fine. For what this is, he's a king. Mancuso seems rough, at time crude-ish, but tristano plays with something resembling "clu swing", which is different from what he does elsewhere here. Crothers....sorry, I just can't hang with her. I guess if you were there to live it, you'd live it with her there and that would be one thing, but I wasn't. so it's something else.

Lennie himself...always worth hearing. The "private" and/or "reclusive" aspect of his life changed the vibe of his playing, but not really the substance. This guy is not to be ignored, if only for his harmonic reach.

HArdly "canonical", but it's a good record for those who dig Tristano at any kind of depth of interest.

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