Lee Konitz, Miles Davis, Art Blakey and
Bud Powell at Birdland, photo by Marcel Fleiss
Beginning in the late 1940s, cool alto saxophonist Lee Konitz earned a reputation as one of the most original improvisers in jazz. While many altoists were imitating Charlie Parker, Konitz was developing a phraseology all his own. On the Count Basie classic Topsy, he and two former colleagues from pianist Lennie Tristanos groups are joined by bebop pioneers Kenny Clarke on drums and Oscar Pettiford on bass. Since Konitz and tenorist Warne Marsh shared similar tonal concepts and improvisatory approaches, they made a highly compatible and successful team.