Lee Konitz

With over 140 recorded works under his own name and numerous others as a sideman, jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz has a recording career stretching almost seven decades and has played alongside many of the jazz greats. As one of the players who participated in the legendary 'Birth of the Cool' sessions during 1949-'50 alongside Miles Davis and other jazz notables such as Max Roach, Junior Collins and Gerry Mulligan, Konitz can claim his place as one of the founding fathers of the cool jazz movement.

Konitz's style is distinctive for its use of lengthy improvised melodies punctuated with accents and note groupings in which occasionally he will overlay a phrase in a different time signature. Konitz developed his performing style by playing with the Stan Kenton Orchestra throughout the 1950s. During this period he continued to pursue his solo ambitions and recorded numerous albums; one in particular, his 1961 album 'Motion', is regarded as his finest album. Konitz was assisted on the recording by Elvin Jones on drums and Sonny Dallas on bass and the original album containing just five tracks is considered a jazz masterpiece.

Konitz has continued to perform live well into his old age and recorded a live album in 2010 in Soho, London at the age of 83.