Rabble Without A Cause
Wednesday June 16th, 2010 with Bernard Stepien
Lennie Tristano, the avantgarde influence

Brainy music! This is what most people remember of Lennie Tristano. He was there right in the middle of Be Bop, exploring further what Monk and Powell had started a half dozen years earlier. He founded also his own school, litterally and even decided to focus on teaching rather than performing, thus paving the way for today's Academic Jazz. His music is complex but always melodious even when some of the unusual notes are highlighted. His first hour disciples, Lee Konitz and Warn Marsh carried his music to this day that really means accross an ocean of 50 years of avantgarde exploration of all kinds but more surprisingly, his concepts influenced totally opposite spectrum musicians such as Bill Evans and Cecil Taylor. His composition WOW still remains a challenge even for academically trained musicians. Tonight, we will sample his recordings he made right upon his arrival in New York City in 1946 with those well established musicians such as Charlie Parker, Max Roach and Dizzy Gillespie besides his own school with Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh.