Motion (Lee Konitz album)

Last updated
Motion
Motian (Lee Konitz album).jpg
Studio album by
Released1961 (1961) [1]
RecordedAugust 29, 1961
StudioOlmsted Sound Studios
New York City
Genre Jazz
Length37:58
Label Verve
Producer Creed Taylor
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Penguin Guide to Jazz Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [3]

Motion is an album by jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz, recorded in 1961 for Verve Records. It features drummer Elvin Jones and bassist Sonny Dallas. It is regarded by many as Konitz's finest album. [4] The 1990 CD issue expanded the number of tracks from five to eight; a 1998 release then expanded this to 38, although most of the additional tracks were from different recording sessions with drummer Nick Stabulas instead of Elvin Jones. [5]

Contents

Music

The album consists of performances of five standards, although "the heads when they are stated at all are for the most part fragmentary and more alluded to than stated". [6] On the first track, "I Remember You", Dallas' bass lines provide the song's structure, while Konitz' phrasing, across bar lines and behind the beat, and Jones' drumming are subtly phrased. "Foolin' Myself" has some role-reversal, with Konitz providing harmonic support for Dallas' soloing. [6]

Critical reception

The Penguin Guide to Jazz gives the album a four-star rating plus a special "crown" accolade and includes it as part of a selected "Core Collection", stating that it is "one of the great modern jazz records". [7]

Track listing

  1. "I Remember You" (Victor Schertzinger, Johnny Mercer) – 4:30
  2. "All of Me" (Gerald Marks, Seymour Simons) – 7:41
  3. "Foolin' Myself" (Jack Lawrence, Peter Tinturin) – 7:01
  4. "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" (Cole Porter) – 10:45
  5. "I'll Remember April" (Gene DePaul, Patricia Johnston, Don Raye) – 8:01

Personnel

Technical

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References

  1. Billboard Nov 6, 1961
  2. Motion at AllMusic
  3. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 120. ISBN   0-394-72643-X.
  4. Liner notes to 2003 CD Reissue
  5. Yanow, Scott (2003) "Jazz on Record: The First Sixty Years" Backbeat Books, p. 591.
  6. 1 2 Liebman, David "Unknown treasures – Lee Konitz' Motion" David Liebman, on his official website. Archived 2013-06-28 at archive.today
  7. Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). New York: Penguin. p. 836. ISBN   978-0-14-103401-0.