Where technology meets art

Lee Konitz / Martial Solal, The Portland Sessions, February 1979 – Portland, Oregon

Lee Konitz is considered by many, including this writer, to be a genius in jazz. His historic work with Warne Marsh as part of the Tristano school of jazz has never been surpassed. Later, after his work in the Tristano school, his tone and harmonies moved away from that strict structure into something very much his own -- and very classical and European. Here, Konitz is in duet with the great European pianist, Martial Solal, whose playing compliments and interweaves with Konitz perfectly. The playing is stellar. Fortuitously, I captured the performance on a Levinson/Studer ML5 30ips tape deck, with just two B&K omnidirectional instrument microphones, in a gorgeous hall on one of the greatest pianos ever built, the Mark Allen concert grand. After hearing this recording several times recently, I believe it embodies all that I have tried to achieve with jazz in concert with great audio. A musical and audio gem.