Lee Konitz has had a long and profitable association with European musicians, including the Italian
Enrico Rava, Swede
Lars Gullin, and Austrian
Franz Koglmann. Europeans have paid more heed to and were quicker to absorb the more self-consciously cerebral approach to modern jazz promoted by
Konitz's teacher,
Lennie Tristano, and further developed by
Konitz himself. This 1990 recording finds the saxophonist paired with German pianist and composer
Frank Wunsch. As with other European encounters, this session draws
Konitz out of his usual repertoire of a few dozen choice standards. Here
Wunsch contributes three originals, each informed by European classicism. The wistful "February Waltz" is especially poignant, giving
Konitz a chance to show off his aching, melancholy tone. Not that
Konitz forgets his roots; the session has solid renditions of "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" and "The Nearness of You." The latter is bookended by more open-ended tracks -- a free pianoless trio and "Impression," a series of cadenzas by each player.
S'Nice provides an overview of his work at this point in his career.