Lee Konitz

Internationally renowned innovative jazz musician, born in Chicago to Jewish immigrant parents of Austrian and Russian descent. Konitz began playing clarinet from the age of eleven, later switching to tenor and alto saxophone. First coming to prominence with the swing bands of Jerry Wald (1945-47) and Claude Thornhill (1948), he also gigged with Miles Davis and -- at the same time -- studied and recorded with his mentor Lennie Tristano. Very much an individualist, Konitz (unlike other contemporary saxophonists) remained largely uninfluenced by Charlie Parker, instead developing his distinctively own style and adjusting to new concepts. He worked as a featured soloist with Stan Kenton's orchestra between 1952 and 1954, his increasingly thicker sound necessitated by the sheer volume put out by the band. One of the drummers later commented, Kenton "had us blowing so loud we couldn't believe it." Subsequently embracing (and helping to popularise) the cool jazz movement, Konitz joined Miles Davis and Gerry Mulligan in recording the seminal Birth of the Cool album. In later years, he led his own bands (including a nine-piece orchestra in the 70s), recorded several acclaimed improvisational albums with Warne Marsh and devoted much of his time to teaching jazz in clinics and workshops. Konitz continued to perform well into his 90s, despite having undergone serious heart surgery. In 1992, he won the annual Danish Jazzpar Prize, and, as late as 2002, was awarded the DownBeat Critics Award for altoist of the year.