Lee Konitz - Peacemeal

OJCCD-1101-2

Something of an anomaly in the Konitz catalog- at least that portion that’s made it onto compact disc- this 1969 album might look scattershot on the surface, but it’s actually quite methodical in design. The program offers up a grab bag of surprising selections. Three Bela Bartók pieces culled from Mikrokosmos, the composer’s set of 153 short piano pieces, all arranged by Marshall Brown, who plays valve trombone and baritone horn form the centerpiece. Also on hand: an arrangement of “Body and Soul” based on an improvised trumpet solo by Roy Eldridge, a version of “Lester Leaps In” constructed from two Lester Young solo choruses transcribed by Konitz with the melody excised, a new reading of Konitz’s evergreen “Subconscious-Lee” and three compositions by pianist Dick Katz who also handles keyboard chores on the session. Konitz’s “Fourth Dimension” brings the original session songbook to an even ten.

At the time of the date, Konitz, like his contemporaries Sonny Stitt and Eddie Harris, was in thrall of then newfangled electronic saxophone attachments like the sci-fi sounding Multivider. Pianist Dick Katz also plugs in, tickling the ivories of his electric piano periodically throughout the session. Fortunately both men employ these augmentations judiciously and creatively. The sleeve notes contain a priceless group shot of the quintet in a sound proof booth that provides a funny visual counterpart to the vintage sonic trappings. Konitz sports tinted spectacles, lamb chop sideburns and an uncanny semblance to John Lennon while drummer Jack DeJohnette stares seriously into the camera, his head capped with a helmet-coifed afro. The one-word title of the disc, twisted into a then-as-now timely pun, further reflects the era of its origin.

The Bartók pieces make for loamy jazz fodder and receive radical reworkings. “Thumb Under,” which is actual No. 90 in the series, works off a surprising underlying groove. DeJohnette carves out a backbeat-fueled beat that locks with Katz’s plush electric keys and Eddie Gomez’s bubbly bass ostinato that’s more Holiday Inn cocktail lounge than highbrow concert stage. Konitz’s tone-treated tenor serves up a faltering solo on top, flanked by the lubricious putter of Brown’s baritone horn. “Village Joke” (No. 130 for those keeping count), works off a weighty Eastern European oompah beat, playful piano tinkles, sparse snare syncopations and a contrastingly dour arco bass line at the onset. Suddenly the rhythm section silences, allowing for a successon of unaccompanied solos starting with Konitz’s aerated alto phrases and ending with gunshots from DeJohnette’s brittle snare. “Peasant Dance” (No. 128) translates from similar folk elements into a gorgeous chamber group oration with odd detours into funk- dig Gomez’s fatback pizzicato patterns mid-piece. Brilliant stuff!

Other standout tracks in a set brimming with enterprising ideas include the Katz-scripted title tune and Konitz’s “Fourth Dimension.” The former is a tricky tempo-swerving beast that requires the players, particularly DeJohnette, to stay poised on their toes. Konitz’s piquant sax snakes through angular intervallic contours with seeming ease, as various patterns of counterpoint are erected in response to his lithe lines and in surprisingly freer meters. On the latter, a tune that feels and sounds structurally akin to a Wayne Shorter composition circa 1965, the band engages the deceptively intricate harmonic essence of the piece with an interplay that never lags. Alternate takes of “Lester Leaps In,” “Body and Soul” and “Sub-Conscious-Lee” bolster the running time to just over an hour and make the time capsule all the more value-added. This liberal slice from Konitz’s ‘long-hair’ days is welcome reissue and well worth seeking out by anyone with the slightest interest in his music.

~ Derek Taylor