Lee Konitz-Ohad Talmor Big Band - Portology

The great alto saxophone master Lee Konitz joins Portugal's Orquestra Jazz De Matosinhos directed by Ohad Talmor for this studio session of progressive big band music that is consistently surprising and original. Konitz is given quite a bit of solo space, surrounded by an expansive-sounding band that is clearly influenced by the precepts of Oliver Nelson, Gil Evans, and their European counterparts and disciples. There are four stand-alone compositions and two large suites, all written and arranged by Talmor save Konitz's famous hard bop piece "Sound Lee." The three-part medley tribute to Ornette Coleman, "Ornetty," is rhythmically spastic, up and down dynamically, and skittish melodically, and it has a somber middle section in remembrance of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Read More