Lee Konitz - Stereokonitz (1968) [re-rip]

Lee Konitz has had many opportunities to record with European artists over the decades, but this session is a bit unusual, in that all the compositions are by bassist Giovanni Tommaso; and Konitz doesn't stick strictly to alto saxophone. Joining them are pianist Franco D'Andrea, trumpeter Enrico Rava and drummer Gegé Munari. Tommaso's charts delve into bop and cool, with Konitz primarily playing the varitone, though he does play some alto sax and also makes a rare appearance on flute (doubling on it in "Take Seven"). While the music from this 1968 session is enjoyable, even though the sound quality of the varitone pales when compared to a regular saxophone, this remains one of Lee Konitz's more obscure recordings from the '60s. ~ Extracts taken from review by Ken Dryden, AMG.

This LP is one of my favourite Lee Konitz albums. It’s a truly distinctive session revealing a brilliant class of sound! For this album Konitz tries out a varitone sax, as well as playing flute and alto. This session is a rather different undertaking in that Lee comes together with an elite grouping of some of Europe’s top musicians, at this time 1968, playing some very contemporary tunes that are partly modal and in a soul jazz style. This uniqueness being mainly due to the absorbing compositions penned by the bassist Giovanni Tommaso. The group includes other Italian stars Enrico Rava on trumpet and Franco d'Andrea on piano. This assemblage of great artists allows Konitz to in reality to stretch out more so, especially noticeable when soloing. All tracks showcase the musical talents of all the players. It is wonderful to hear matching of both Rava and d’Andrea throughout this fine LP. Highlights include “Five, Four And Three”, “Komonia”, “Midnight Mood”, “Terre Lontane” and “Tune Down”. However in essence the whole LP is fantastic, Enjoy!

Recorded in October, 1968 in Rome, Italy

DejaVù Records, DJV 20000 42, 2008

Personnel:

Lee Konitz - Alto Sax (#A3,B1), Flute (#B2), Varitone (#A1,A2,A4,B2-B4)

Enrico Rava - Trumpet
Franco d'Andrea - Piano

Giovanni Tommaso - Bass

Gegé Munari - Drums

Tracks:

A1. A Minor Blues (4:37)

A2. Five, Four And Three (3:32)

A3. Komonia (4:43)

A4. Midnight Mood (3:50)

B1. Terre Lontane (5:25)

B2. Take Seven (3:11)

B3. Giovanni D'Oggi (4:20)

B4. Tune Down (4:51)

Credits:

All Compositions by Giovanni Tommaso

Arranger - Thomas Giovannio
Sound Engineer - Guilio Spelta

Assistant Music - Guido Cenciarelli

Photos and Design - ZOOM

Other releases include:

RCA Italiana [Original Cast]; Catalog#: OLS 2; 1969

RCA Records [Jazz Masters - France]; PL 31257; 1969