Lee Konitz's "Tranquility" ... what a gem

[Larry Kart]

Lee's October 1957 quartet album for Norman Granz has been packaged (by an EU outfit by the name of Gambit) with Lee's superb May 1957 quintet album "Very Cool" (with Don Ferrara -- his only substantial outing on record AFAIK -- Sal Mosca, Peter Ind, and Shadow Wilson). "Very Cool" I've known and loved since it first came out, but "Tranquility" (I'm semi-embarrassed to say) was new to me. A beautiful date, with some of the

most relaxed, lucid Lee ever. Interesting originals (Lee's "Stephanie," Bauer's "Jonquil") and interpretations (a very down tempo "Sunday," a medium-up "The Nearness of You") as well. BTW, does anyone know who the Jack Fuller is who wrote the liner notes for "Tranquility"? It's a new name to me, and phrase or two gives me the feeling that it's Whitney Balliett writing under a pseudonym. (I do know a Jack Fuller who is interested in jazz -- the former editor of the Chicago Tribune, who wrote a novel about a Coltrane-sh figure -- but that Jack Fuller was in high school in 1957.)

[Dan Gould]

FWIW, Gambit is in the "Lonehill" family of dubitable labels.

[Chuck Nessa]

Fine recordings indeed, but Gambit is not the best source.

Sorry to see you recommending this crap.

[ghost of miles]

I've long wished that Mosaic would do a Konitz Verve set (and hire you to write the notes, Larry). I know a fair amount of that material has come out over the past 10-15 years on CD, but much of it has gone OOP again. Labels like Gambit do make it problematic for Mosaic, though... they gotta figure that the customer pool for something like a Konitz Verve is only so deep.

[Chuck Nessa]

I've long wished that Mosaic would do a Konitz Verve set (and hire you to write the notes, Larry). I know a fair amount of that material has come out over the past 10-15 years on CD, but much of it has gone OOP again. Labels like Gambit do make it problematic for Mosaic, though... they gotta figure that the customer pool for something like a Konitz Verve is only so deep.

I have picked up these titles (Universal Japan) for around $12 each in the last 3 years.

[Larry Kart]

Fine recordings indeed, but Gambit is not the best source.

Sorry to see you recommending this crap.

I knew of no alternative.

[JSngry]

Well, now that you've done it, you have no alternative but to provide free burns for everybody who reads this.

That'll teach those thievin' bastards!

[brownie]

Won't need a burn of this 'Tranquility'.

Polydor Japan was wise enough to reissue a dozen LPs each month in the mid-seventies in their 'Immortal Jazz on Verve' series. 'Tranquility' was one of those I purchased then!

[Clunky]

I've long wished that Mosaic would do a Konitz Verve set (and hire you to write the notes, Larry). I know a fair amount of that material has come out over the past 10-15 years on CD, but much of it has gone OOP again. Labels like Gambit do make it problematic for Mosaic, though... they gotta figure that the customer pool for something like a Konitz Verve is only so deep.

I have picked up these titles (Universal Japan) for around $12 each in the last 3 years.

I fairly recently got both Tranquility and Very Cool on Japanese CDs through amazon.co.uk market place sellers. Might be worth having a little hunt around for these legit titles.

[jazzbo]

I've never heard "Very Cool" but "Tranquility" is indeed a great date; I have a Japanese lpfacimile cd of that title.

There is a lot of unissued Verve Konitz according to an online discography, I'd really welcome a Mosaic set.

[JohnS]

Absolutely. Have it on Japanese vinyl. Probably my favourite Konitz album. I love 'People Will Say We're In Love', almost perfect.

[Chuck Nessa]

Good to hope Lee eventualy gets money. Not a bad thing.

[Peter Friedman]

I've never heard "Very Cool" but "Tranquility" is indeed a great date; I have a Japanese lpfacimile cd of that title.

There is a lot of unissued Verve Konitz according to an online discography, I'd really welcome a Mosaic set.

I also have both "Tranquility" and "Very Cool" on Japanese Verve CDs.

In my view, "Very Cool" is the better of the two, though both are very good.

[BruceH]

Thanks for the recommendation, Larry. I found it and bought it the day before yesterday. (Konitz sure did put out a ton of albums.)

[garthsj]

Thanks for the recommendation, Larry. I found it and bought it the day before yesterday. (Konitz sure did put out a ton of albums.)

Bruce, you are right .. Konitz has put out a lot of albums, BUT, most of these have been in the last thirty years. For those of us who were Konitz fans dating back to 1953 (when, as a 13 year old, I received as a gift of a 10" Prestige album of his) it was a long wait between albums. A look at his available discography in the period up to the late 1960's shows a relatively small number of albums for a musician of his stature at the time. I distinctly remember buying both of these LP albums at Sam The Record Man's store on Yonge Street in Toronto at the time they were released. They were incredible additions to my then small, but treasured collection of Konitz albums. I have both now on Japanese CDs and they continue, as Larry pointed out, to bring me great pleasure.

Edited February 16, 2007 by garthsj

[BruceH]

Thanks for the recommendation, Larry. I found it and bought it the day before yesterday. (Konitz sure did put out a ton of albums.)

Bruce, you are right .. Konitz has put out a lot of albums, BUT, most of these have been in the last thirty years. For those of us who were Konitz fans dating back to 1953 (when, as a 13 year old, I received as a gift of a 10" Prestige album of his) it was a long wait between albums. A look at his available discography in the period up to the late 1960's shows a relatively small number of albums for a musician of his stature at the time. I distinctly remember buying both of these LP albums at Sam The Record Man's store on Yonge Street in Toronto at the time they were released. They were incredible additions to my then small, but treasured collection of Konitz albums. I have both now on Japanese CDs and they continue, as Larry pointed out, to bring me great pleasure.

Happily, they are bringing me pleasure too, now.

You're right of course. I've gotten the impression that I could actually collect all of Konitz's 50's/early 60's output with a little more trying.

[montg]

I'll confess that I don't have any Lee Konitz in my collection, with the exception of a date co-led with Warne Marsh from the 50s on Atlantic. I can't remember the name of the CD, actually, probably because it didn't knock me out.

Not to hijack the thread away from this particular CD, but is 'Tranquility' a good place to maybe be reintroduced to Konitz or is there a better suggestion for a reintroduction?

[Larry Kart]

Listen again to the Marsh-Konitiz album you already have; it's a great one. If you don't like Konitz on there, then he's probably not going to be to your taste in any of his incarnations.

[montg]

Listen again to the Marsh-Konitiz album you already have; it's a great one. If you don't like Konitz on there, then he's probably not going to be to your taste in any of his incarnations.

I'll try some more, I'm sure I'm listening with a wrong set of ears. My two paradigms for modern alto are Bird and Desmond and consequently I'm missing whatever it is that Konitz is doing/saying since he seems to be in a somewhat different place from either of those two.

[gslade]

Yes, I have Tranquility on POCJ-2727 CD, agreed

A Very Nice record, I am going to have to track down Very Cool

[gslade]

I am going to have to track down

my magnifying glass to read those Jack Fuller liner notes

[ghost of miles]

Mosaic says they are again interested in possibly doing a Konitz Verve set--I, for one, am crossing my fingers and hoping that it eventually comes to pass.

[jazzbo]

Me too, I hope they can bring out a lot of unissued stuff!

[sal]

Listen again to the Marsh-Konitiz album you already have; it's a great one. If you don't like Konitz on there, then he's probably not going to be to your taste in any of his incarnations.

I'll try some more, I'm sure I'm listening with a wrong set of ears. My two paradigms for modern alto are Bird and Desmond and consequently I'm missing whatever it is that Konitz is doing/saying since he seems to be in a somewhat different place from either of those two.

Don't worry, you're not alone. I don't get it either.

[robviti]

I'll confess that I don't have any Lee Konitz in my collection, with the exception of a date co-led with Warne Marsh from the 50s on Atlantic. I can't remember the name of the CD, actually, probably because it didn't knock me out.

Not to hijack the thread away from this particular CD, but is 'Tranquility' a good place to maybe be reintroduced to Konitz or is there a better suggestion for a reintroduction?