Jul 9, 2024 11:35 AM
Trumpeter, Educator Jim Rotondi Dies at 61
Jim Rotondi, a renowned hard-bop trumpeter, composer and educator, died suddenly on July 7 at a hospital in France. He…
Lee Konitz’s Frescalalto will be available digitally on Feb. 10.
(Photo: )Alto saxophone jazz master and 2015 DownBeat Hall of Fame inductee Lee Konitz teams up with pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington for his first-ever release on Impulse! Records. Frescalalto will be released digitally on February 10.
The quartet of musicians share an intersecting history: 40 years ago, Kenny Washington made his recording debut playing with Konitz on his 1977 LP, Lee Konitz Nonet. The two performed together again on 1992’s Jazz Nocturne, which also featured Impulse! recording artist and pianist Kenny Barron. Furthermore, over the decades, Kenny Washington and Peter Washington (no relation) made up one of New York City’s distinguished jazz rhythm sections, performing frequently with Barron and other jazz greats.
The quartet’s collective expertise enlivens Frescalalto as Konitz revisits eight tunes, many of which are jazz classics.
“I’ve been pretty much doing these [songs] all through the years,” Konitz says about Frescalalto. “They are great tunes that offer constant challenges regarding approaching them in unique ways. That’s the goal. Sometimes it’s not achieved, but other times, I start out playing these melodies and then start going in completely different directions. That’s such a kick.”
The disc begins with a spirited reading of Victor Young’s “Stella By Starlight,” followed by one of Konitz’s own compositions “Thingin’.” With “Gundula,” Konitz exhumes one of his more recent originals, a ballad with pensive lyricism and romantic chords that certainly should earn its bona fides to becoming a jazz standard in its own right. Other classics include “Darn That Dream”, “Invitation” and “Cherokee.” DB
Jim Rotondi was acclaimed for his wide, round trumpet tone, remarkable virtuosity and assured swing.
Jul 9, 2024 11:35 AM
Jim Rotondi, a renowned hard-bop trumpeter, composer and educator, died suddenly on July 7 at a hospital in France. He…
Charles Lloyd, seen here at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, makes DownBeat Poll history!
Jul 11, 2024 12:23 PM
The incomparable Charles Lloyd swept the 72nd Annual DownBeat Critics Poll, becoming the first artist ever to earn…
“Being president of Blue Note has been one of the coolest things that ever happened to me,” Was said. “It’s a gas to serve as one of the caretakers of that legacy.”
Jun 4, 2024 12:21 PM
Sitting with Don Was is a comfortable and unhurried exercise. He may seem slightly reserved at first, but ideas and…
The Century Room in downtown Tucson, Arizona, was born in 2021.
May 21, 2024 12:58 PM
Players got to play. It’s long been a part of jazz history: When there’s a venue vacuum, when there are fewer…
“She reminds me of my childhood and makes we want to cry,” Cécile McLorin Salvant, pictured here with writer Ashley Kahn, said of Dianne Reeves.
Jun 11, 2024 12:31 PM
Italy’s Umbria Jazz Winter is one of those rare annual festivals that not only coincides with a major holiday —…