Lennie Tristano - Lennie Tristano '1955 [1991]

Tracks list

       Lennie Tristano's Atlantic debut was a controversial album at the time of
its release. Though Tristano was regarded as a stellar and innovative bebop
pianist, he had been absent from recording for six years and had founded a jazz
school where he focused instead on teaching. The first four tunes on this set
shocked the jazz world at the time of their release (though not critic Barry
Ulanov, who was Tristano's greatest champion and wrote the liner notes for the
set). The reason was that on those four original tunes – "Line Up,"
"Requiem," "Turkish Mambo," and "East Thirty-Second" – Tristano actually
overdubbed piano lines, and sped the tape up and down for effect.

While the effect is quite listenable and only jarring in the most splendid sense
of the word – because of the sharp, angular arpeggios and the knotty,
involved method of improvising that came directly by improvising against the
rhythm section of drummer Jeff Morton and bassist Peter Ind – it was
literally unheard of at the time. The last five tunes on the disc were recorded
live with a rhythm section of bassist Gene Ramey and drummer Art Taylor. Lee
Konitz plays alto as well. The tunes are all standards, including "These Foolish
Things," "Ghost of a Chance," and "All the Things You Are." The performance is
flawless, with beautiful interplay between Lee and Lennie and stellar harmonic
ideas coming down from the bandstand in a fluid relaxed manner. This is a
gorgeous album with a beautiful juxtaposition between its first and second
halves, with the rhythmic and intervallic genius of Tristano as an improviser on
full display during the first half and the pianist as a supreme lyrical and
swinging harmonist during the back half.


Tracks:

01 - Line Up
02 - Requiem
03 - Turkish Mambo
04 - East Thirty-Second
05 - These Foolish Things
06 - You Go To My Head
07 - If I Had You
08 - Ghost Of A Chance
09 - All The Things You Are

Personnel:

Lennie Tristano – piano
Peter Ind – bass
Jeff Morton – drums
Lee Konitz – alto saxophone
Gene Ramey – bass
Art Taylor – drums

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