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Lennie Tristano‘s historic 1949 Capitol sessions with Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh
& Marsh‘s 1956 classic Jazz Of Two Cities.

AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow:
This CD brings back a formerly rare set by Warne Marsh, plus seven classic performances that serve as the high point of Lennie Tristano’s career. Oddly enough, the Tristano date is programmed second. First is a full-length album which matches Warne Marsh with the cooler but complementary tone of fellow tenor Ted Brown (plus pianist Ronnie Ball, bassist George Tucker, and drummer Jeff Morton). The original eight selections are joined by four alternate takes recorded in mono. Marsh and Brown blend together well, Ball has several creative solos, and most of the “originals” are based closely on familiar standards. However, the main reason to acquire this CD is for the seven remarkable Tristano tracks which feature his finest group (consisting of the pianist/leader, altoist Lee Konitz, Marsh on tenor, guitarist Billy Bauer, bassist Arnold Fishkin, and either Harold Granowsky or Denzil Best on drums). Tristano’s music was unique and even more advanced than most bop of the late ’40s. While he confined the rhythm section to very quiet timekeeping, the vibrato-less horns and Tristano himself played very long melodic lines, constantly improvising. The stunning unisons performed by Konitz and Marsh (particularly on “Wow”) still sound remarkable today, as does the interplay of the two horns on “Sax of a Kind.” “Intuition” and “Digression” were the first recorded free improvisations in jazz, but are quite coherent due to the musicians’ familiarity with each other. Due to the Lennie Tristano performances, this CD reissue (which has over 75 minutes of music) is essential for all jazz collections (https://goo.gl/kadr6c).

Track listing:

*tracks 01 to 12
Warne Marsh – Jazz of Two Cities (Capitol in 1956)

Personnel:

Warne Marsh – tenor saxophone
Ted Brown – tenor saxophone
Ronnie Ball – piano
Ben Tucker – bass
Jeff Morton – drums

*tracks 13 to 19
Lennie Tristano’s Capitol sessions in 1949

Personnel:

Lennie Tristano – piano
Lee Konitz – alto saxophone
Warne Marsh – tenor saxophone
Billy Bauer – guitar
Arnold Fishkin – bass
Harold Granowsky – drums (tracks 13 & 14)
Denzil Best – drums (tracks 16 to 19)

Capitol Jazz CD released in 1996.