live At The Half Note

The music on this two-CD set has a strange history. Pianist Lennie Tristano had a rare reunion with altoist Lee Konitz and tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh (his two greatest “students”) during an extended stay at the Half Note in 1959. Tristano took Tuesday nights off to teach and Bill Evans was his substitute, but the pianist had a couple of those performances recorded for posterity. While listening to his tapes years later, he was so impressed with Marsh’s playing that he sent edited versions (comprised entirely of the tenor man’s solos) to Marsh, and somehow they ended up being released in that form by the Revelation label. In 1994, the unedited music was finally issued by Verve; the consistently exciting playing by Konitz, Marsh, and Evans (with backup by bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Paul Motian) makes one wonder what took so long. They perform a dozen extended standards (or “originals” based on the chord changes of familiar tunes) with creativity and inspiration. In fact, of all the Konitz-Marsh recordings, this set ranks near the top. – Scott Yanow