eMusic Review 0
The Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson has assembled a fascinating quartet comprised of the staunch 85-year old alto saxophonist Lee Konitz and the former rhythm section from the Brad Mehldau Trio, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy. Konitz was the most renowned student of the idiosyncratic jazz pioneer Lennie Tristano, and in his typically stellar liner notes, Iverson claims that Costumes Are Mandatory “documents the four of us in dialog with the Tristano school.”
But the highlights here often stem from Iverson jostling the venerable Konitz into fresh contexts, beginning with the two versions of the blues “Blueberry Ice Cream” that bookend the disc. “Body and Soul,” a duet between Konitz and Grenadier, is another gem, featuring some of the year’s finest contra bass jazz, a song in which Konitz is both maestro and foil. (Tristano famously believed bass and drums should stick to a metronomic script.)
Despite Iverson’s entreaties, Konitz sits out on a rendition of the Fats Domino hit, “Blueberry Hill,” which would be anathema to Tristano but just right for some Bad Plus-style revelry and deconstruction from Iverson. The two do combine for some deconstruction on a brilliantly terse, impressionistic and ultimately sweet version of… read more »
