Lee Konitz, American saxophonist and composer
Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist.
He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz movement of the 1940s and 1950s includes participation in Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool sessions and his work with pianist Lennie Tristano. He was one of relatively few alto saxophonists of this era to retain a distinctive style, when Charlie Parker exerted a massive influence. Like other students of Tristano, Konitz improvised long, melodic lines with the rhythmic interest coming from odd accents, or odd note groupings suggestive of the imposition of one time signature over another. Other saxophonists were strongly influenced by Konitz, such as Paul Desmond and Art Pepper.
He died during the COVID-19 pandemic due to complications brought on by the disease.
1927Oct, 13
Lee Konitz
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Events on 1927
- 10Jan
Metropolis (1927 film)
Fritz Lang's futuristic film Metropolis is released in Germany. - 23Feb
Uncertainty principle
German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg writes a letter to fellow physicist Wolfgang Pauli, in which he describes his uncertainty principle for the first time. - 5May
Virginia Woolf
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf is first published. - 27May
Ford Model T
The Ford Motor Company ceases manufacture of the Ford Model T and begins to retool plants to make the Ford Model A. - 26Jun
Coney Island
The Cyclone roller coaster opens on Coney Island.