Lee Konitz, Michael Janisch, Dan Tepfer, Jeff Williams - First Meeting: Live in London, Vol. 1 (2014)

Bassist,composer, band-leader and record label owner Michael Janisch has been a regular presence on the Jazzmann web pages for a number of years. The indefatigable Janisch, born in Wisconsin but now settled in London is a great organiser and co-ordinator who has encouraged many fruitful collaborations between British, European and American musicians. Nevertheless the release of an album on his own record label featuring the playing of that great veteran Lee Konitz (born Chicago, 1927) represents a considerable coup even for him.
During the course of a lengthy career saxophonist Konitz has worked with Miles Davis (most famously on the “Birth Of The Cool” sessions) and Lennie Tristano as well as recording prolifically as a leader. He has always continued to move forward, constantly redefining his sound and approach and his output has even included free jazz experiments with the likes of Derek Bailey.
The music on this album was recorded in May 2010 as part of Janisch’s then monthly residency at the famous Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho, London. The cross generational line-up Konitz (alto & soprano sax), Jeff Williams (drums), Janisch ( bass) and the young pianist Dan Tepfer had never played together as a quartet before despite a number of individual connections. The billing of the group as four individual names rather than as the “Lee Konitz Quartet” emphasises the co-operative nature of the performances which have been selected from four separate shows and over six hours of music. There were no rehearsals, set list or preconceived ideas. The album notes reveal that “Under Mr. Konitz’s instruction, anyone on the bandstand could simply start playing a melody, and the rest of the band could follow. Or not”.
Despite its spontaneous nature this isn’t a free jazz record per se, instead the four musicians improvise around a selection of jazz and bebop standards, tunes known to all the players but ripe with the potential for finding new things to say within the selected framework. It’s an approach that Konitz has been perfecting for many years and despite being aged eighty two at the time of the recording one senses that Konitz is still searching and is still prepared to take musical risks.
Bearing in mind Konitz’s diktat it comes it’s not entirely surprising to find that the repertoire includes duo and trio episodes as well as full quartet performances. All four musicians contribute to the opening “Billie’s Bounce” which is started by Konitz’s alto and uses the theme as a jumping off point for adventurous solos from Konitz and Tepfer as the quartet take the music miles away from its starting point. Janisch and Williams are a superbly responsive rhythm team and such are the levels of inventiveness and adventure that this never becomes a mere “head/solos/head” date as the group invariably end up somewhere very different to where they started.
It’s rare to hear Konitz on soprano sax and his solo intro on the smaller horn to a trio performance of “All The Things You Are” is a delight. He continues to probe thoughtfully in the company of Janisch and Williams in a way that is thoroughly engrossing. Janisch eventually takes over and is one of those players who makes bass solos interesting, similarly Williams at the drums with his vivid cymbal colourations in a series of solo episodes and exchanges with Konitz.
Tepfer’s abstract contemporary pianism introduces a heavily mutated “Stella By Starlight”, later joined in duet by Konitz’s astringent alto. Janisch and Williams establish a flexible rolling rhythm to accompany Konitz’s lengthy saxophone ruminations, later fading away to accommodate a further piano/sax duo episode. This is the sound of the quartet at their most adventurous and spontaneous.
Konitz sits out as Tepfer, Janisch and Williams tackle John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” in piano trio mode with Tepfer shaping the proceedings and again emphasising what a fine contemporary jazz pianist he is. The music is dense and busy with Janisch and Williams gamely matching Tepfer’s outpouring of ideas. Janisch also relishes the opportunity to step into the limelight as Williams and Tepfer offer empathic support. There’s also a series of thrilling bass and piano exchanges, a taste of Tepfer solo (he’ll be playing a solo set at Wigmore Hall in November as part of the 2014 London Jazz Festival), a Williams drum feature and some terrific trio interplay. Marvellous stuff.
Konitz returns on soprano for “Body And Soul” a beautiful duet with Tepfer centred around this timeless jazz classic. Instigated by Tepfer it develops into an instinctive and intimate conversation between two musicians several generations apart.
Janisch’s solo bass leads off “Alone Together”, an extended passage that emphasises the familiar virtues of huge tone, melodic invention and enormous dexterity that have frequently been remarked upon elsewhere on this site. Tepfer is equally inspired and Williams’ deft cymbal work also catches the ear. It’s several minutes before Konitz joins in with the first statement of the theme but the second half of the piece is dominated by Williams with a lengthy but well constructed solo.
“Subconscious Lee” is a Konitz original that dates back to his first days as a leader way back in 1949. Many of Konitz’s tunes have punning titles but this is the one he seems to return to most often. This version begins with a passage of slippery solo alto which dictates the course of the track. Konitz and Williams first played together in 1972 and the drummer is instinctively receptive to Konitz’s various twists and turns. Tepfer also finds a space for himself and this is a sparkling collaborative quartet take on a classic composition that still sounds thoroughly contemporary all these years on.
The closing “Outro” is a tantalisingly brief duo variation on the theme of “Sweet & Lovely” played by the long running combination of Konitz on alto and Williams on brushed drums. This appears to be a taster for a second volume of music from this quartet, culled from the same performances but which is promised to contain freer and even more exploratory playing. On the evidence of “Volume One” this is a release that will be very keenly anticipated.
Despite the age of its most senior protagonist this is the sound of four musicians at the top of their game. Don’t be fooled by the choices of material, this is far more than a routine standards session. There’s a genuine sense of adventure about this music with some of the pieces being altered almost beyond recognition - but in a good way. Individual and collaborative highlights abound with the audiences at the Pizza Express being treated to something out of the ordinary. It may have taken four years but one can appreciate why Janisch wanted to get this music out there.