Enja Records is a German jazz record label based in Munich, Germany. It was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971.^[1]

The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and recently the focus at the label has broadened to encompass other genres of music. Its sub-label is Blues Beacon Records.

Discography[link]

Main Series[link]

Other Series[link]

References[link]

Abdullah Ibrahim
Background information
Birth name	Adolph Johannes Brand
Born	(1934-10-09) 9 October 1934 (age 77) Cape Town, South Africa
Genres	South African jazz, bebop, post-bop, folk
Occupations	Pianist, composer, bandleader
Instruments	Piano, saxophone, cello
Years active	1955–present
Associated acts	Sathima Bea Benjamin, Jean Grae
Website	www.abdullahibrahim.com

Abdullah Ibrahim (Arabic: عبدالله إبراهيم), born Adolph Johannes Brand, 9 October 1934 in Cape Town, South Africa, and formerly known as Dollar Brand, is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cape Town, ranging from traditional African songs to the gospel of the AME Church and ragas, to more modern jazz and other Western styles. Ibrahim is considered the leading figure in the sub-genre, Cape Jazz. Within jazz, his music particularly reflects the influence of Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. With his wife, the jazz singer Sathima Bea Benjamin, he is father to the New York underground rapper Jean Grae, as well as to a son, Tsakwe.

Abdullah Ibrahim, Moers Festival, 2011

Biography[link]

He first received piano lessons at the age of seven, was an avid consumer of jazz records brought by American sailors, and was playing jazz professionally by 1949. In 1959 and 1960, he played alongside Kippie Moeketsi and Hugh Masekela with The Jazz Epistles in Sophiatown; the group recorded the first jazz LP by Black South African musicians in 1960.^[1] Ibrahim then joined the European tour of the musical King Kong.

He moved to Europe in 1962. In February 1963, Ibrahim's wife-to-be Sathima Bea Benjamin convinced Duke Ellington, who was in Zürich on a European tour, to come to hear Ibrahim perform as “The Dollar Brand Trio” in Zürich's “Africana Club”. After the show, Ellington helped set up a recording session with Reprise Records: Duke Ellington presents The Dollar Brand Trio.^[1] A second recording of the trio (also with Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on piano) performing with Sathima as vocalist was recorded, but remained unreleased until 1996 (A Morning in Paris under Benjamin's name). The Dollar Brand Trio (with Johnny Gertze on bass and Makaya Ntshoko on drums) subsequently played at many European festivals, as well as on radio and television.

He briefly returned to South Africa in the mid-1970s after his conversion to Islam (and the resultant change of name from Dollar Brand to Abdullah Ibrahim); however, he soon returned to New York in 1976, as he found the political conditions too oppressive. While in South Africa, however, he made a series of recordings with noted Cape Town players (including Basil Coetzee and Robbie Jansen). These seminal recordings gave impetus to a new sound, Cape Jazz. These included the masterpiece, "Mannenberg", renamed "Capetown Fringe" in its US release, one of South Africa's popular musical compositions; the recording soon became an unofficial soundtrack to the anti-apartheid resistance. "Black Lightning", "African Herbs" and "Soweto is Where it is at", sounds that mirrored and spoke of the defiance in the streets and townships of South Africa. Saxophonist and flautist Carlos Ward was his sideman in acclaimed duets during the early 1980s.

Abdullah Ibrahim has written the soundtracks for a number of films, including the award-winning Chocolat and, more recently, No Fear, No Die.^[1] Since the ending of apartheid, he has lived in Cape Town, and now divides his time between his global concert circuit, New York, and South Africa.

He also took part in the 2002 documentary Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony, where he and others recalled the days of apartheid.

Ibrahim has worked as a solo performer, typically in mesmerising unbroken concerts that echo the unstoppable impetus of the old marabi performers, classical impressionists and snatches of his musical idols - Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Fats Waller. He also performs regularly with trios and quartets and larger orchestral units. Since his return to South Africa in the early 1990s, he has been feted with symphony orchestra performances, one of which was in honour of Nelson Mandela's inauguration as President. He has also founded the "M7" academy for South African musicians in Cape Town, and was the initiator of the Cape Town Jazz Orchestra, an 18-piece big band launched in September 2006.

Ibrahim's song "African Marketplace" has achieved such widespread popularity that the Swedish Communist Party always plays it at demonstrations and meetings.^[2] Ibrahim continues to perform internationally, mainly in Europe, and with occasional shows in North America.

Ibrahim appeared in a television documentary in Japan that aired on June 26, 2010, on NHK-BS. In the program, he performed his compositions in several beautiful spots in South Africa, playing a piano set on the ground that resonated deeply with the majestic natural surroundings.

Discography[link]

• 1960: Jazz Epistle Verse 1
• 1964: Duke Ellington presents The Dollar Brand Trio
• 1965: The Dream
• 1965: Anatomy of a South African Village (Black Lion Records)
• 1965: This is Dollar Brand (Black Lion)
• 1969: African Sketchbook
• 1969: African Piano
• 1973: Good News from Africa
• 1973: African Space Program
• 1974: Ancient Africa
• 1974: African Breeze (East Wind Records)
• 1975: Confluence
• 1976: Banyana – Children of Africa
• 1977: The Journey
• 1977: Streams of Consciousness
• 1977: Buddy Tate Meets Dollar Brand (Chiaroscuro Records)
• 1978: Anthem for the New Nations
• 1978: Autobiography
• 1978: Soweto
• 1979: Echoes from Africa
• 1979: African Marketplace
• 1979: Africa Tears and Laughter
• 1980: Dollar Brand at Montreux
• 1982: African Dawn
• 1983: Ekaya
• 1983: Zimbabwe
• 1985: Water From an Ancient Well
• 1986: South Africa
• 1988: Mindif
• 1989: Blues for a Hip King
• 1989: African River
• 1989: The Mountain (selections from two earlier albums: Ekaya and Water From an Ancient Well)
• 1990: No Fear, No Die
• 1991: Mantra Mode
• 1993: xnysna Blue
• 1994: African Sun
• 1995: Yarona
• 1997: Cape Town Flowers
• 1999: African Suite
• 2000: Cape Town Revisited
• 2001: Ekapa Lodumo
• 2002: African Magic
• 2008: Senzo
• 2009: Bombella
• 2010: Sotho Blue (& Ekaya)

As sideman[link]

This section requires expansion.

With Elvin Jones

• Midnight Walk (Atlantic, 1966)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Guardian (UK) profile of Ibrahim
• Official website

Pascal Schumacher, Dublin (2008)

Pascal Schumacher (born 1979) is a Luxembourg jazz musician, composer and percussionist who has founded a number of groups including the Pascal Schumacher Quartet.^[1] He also plays and composes classical chamber music.^[2]

Education[link]

Pascal Schmacher studied percussion and classical music at the Luxembourg Conservatory. He continued his studies at the Strasbourg Conservatory and at the jazz department of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. He obtained masters degrees at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague with Frits Landesbergen and at the Marc Bloch University in Strasbourg. Among those who assisted him in his studies were Gary Burton, David Friedman, Stefon Harris and Charles Loos.^[3]

Career[link]

Schumacher cofounded the "Interchange" ensemble with saxophonist Nadine Kauffmann (1995) and, in 2001, the experimental percussion group "Stroke X". From 1997, he became increasingly involved in improvised music, especially jazz, playing with a number of different bands and performing with a variety of artists. In 2002, he set up his own Pascal Schumacher Quartet with Jef Neve (piano), Christophe Devisscher (bass) and Teun Verbruggen (drums). Their first album, Change Of The Moon was released in March 2004, providing the band with opportunities to travel across Europe as well as to Australia and South Africa. Their second album, Personal Legend was released in 2005 and their third, Silbergrau in 2007.^[3][4] In a preview of the quartet's contribution to the London Jazz Festival in November 2010, Thomas Gray characterized Schumacher (vibes) and Frank von Chossy (piano) as "resourceful improvisers, with an abundance of lucid ideas effortlessly articulated over the many shifts of metre. Meanwhile," he comments, "Christophe Devisscher (on bass) and Jens Düppe (on drums) play with a mix of muscle, precision and exquisite dynamic sensitivity."^[5]

With his quartet, Schumacher has performed at a number of jazz festivals including the North Sea Jazz Festival (Rotterdam), London Jazz Festival, Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and JVC Jazz Festival (Paris). They have also performed at clubs and festivals in Melbourne, Sydney, Montreal, Cape Town, Saigon and Mexico City.^[6]

In 2004, Jef Neve and Pascal Schumacher set up a duo (vibraphone and piano) playing a new kind of chamber music combining the sounds of Claude Debussy, Steve Reich and Igor Stravinsky.^[7] The duo has been warmly welcomed by the Philharmonie Luxembourg for the "Rising Stars" concert series in some of the largest concert halls in Europe in association with the European Concert Halls Organisation.^[2]

Pascal Schumacher also teaches at the Luxembourg Conservatory as well as at Hochschule für Musik Saar.

Awards[link]

• IKB Jugend-Förderpreis (1998)
• Prix Norbert Stelmes des Jeunesses Musicales Luxembourg (1999)
• Together with the Pascal Schumacher Quartet, First Prize and Public Prize, Tremplin Jazz Avignon (2004)
• Django d'Or for New Talent, Belgian Jazz Trophy (2005)
• Jazz ECHO, "Instrumentalist of the year International, special instruments, Vibraphone", Germany (2012)

Discography[link]

• "Change Of The Moon", Igloo Records, Brussels (2004)
• "Personal Legend", Igloo Records, Brussels (2006)
• "Silbergrau", Igloo Records, Brussels (2007)
• "Here we Gong", Enja Records, Munich (2009)
• "Face to Face", Enja Records, Munich (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Pascal Schumacher Quartet from YouTube

Lee Konitz
Background information
Birth name	Lee Konitz
Born	(1927-10-13) October 13, 1927 (age 84)
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Jazz Cool jazz
Occupations	Saxophonist, Composer
Instruments	Alto saxophone
Labels	RCA Red Seal Atlantic Records Verve Records Prestige Records Palmetto Records
Associated acts	Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Jim Hall, Elvin Jones, Lennie Tristano, Warne Marsh, Brad Mehldau, Charlie Haden

Lee Konitz (born October 13, 1927) is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.

Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings. Konitz was one of the few altoists to retain a distinctive sound in the 40s, when Charlie Parker exercised a tremendous influence on other players.

Konitz, like other students of pianist and theoretician Lennie Tristano, was noted for improvising 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. Paul Desmond and, especially, Art Pepper were strongly influenced by Konitz.

Konitz's association with the Cool Jazz movement of the 1940s and 50s, includes participation in Miles Davis' epochal Birth of the Cool sessions, and his work with Lennie Tristano came from the same period. During his long career, Konitz has played with musicians from a wide variety of jazz styles.

Life and career[link]

Konitz was born in 1927 in Chicago, Illinois. At age eight Konitz received his first instrument—a clarinet—but later dropped the instrument in favor of the tenor saxophone.

Konitz eventually moved from tenor to alto. His greatest influences at the time were the swing big bands he and his brother listened to on the radio, in particular Benny Goodman. Hearing Goodman on the radio is actually what prodded him to ask for a clarinet. On the saxophone he recalls improvising before ever learning to play any standards.^[1]

Konitz began his professional career in 1945 with the Teddy Powell band as a replacement for Charlie Ventura. The engagement apparently did not start out smoothly, as Ventura is said^[who?] to have banged his head against a wall when Konitz played.^{[citation needed]} A month later the band parted ways. Between 1945 and 1947 he worked off and on with Jerry Wald. In 1946 he first met pianist Lennie Tristano and worked in a small cocktail bar with him. His next substantial work was done with Claude Thornhill in 1947, with Gil Evans arranging and Gerry Mulligan as a composer in most part.^[2][3]

In 1949 he teamed up with the Miles Davis group for one or two weeks and again in 1950 to record Birth of the Cool. Konitz has stated that he considered the group to belong to Gerry Mulligan, and credits Lennie Tristano as the true forebearer of "the cool". His debut as leader also came in 1949, with the release of Subconscious-Lee on Prestige Records. He also turned down an opportunity to work with Benny Goodman that same year—a decision he is on record as regretting.^[4]

In the early 1950s, Konitz recorded and toured with Stan Kenton's orchestra. In 1961, he recorded Motion with Elvin Jones on drums and Sonny Dallas on bass. This spontaneous session, widely regarded as a classic, consisted entirely of standards. The loose trio format aptly featured Konitz's unorthodox phrasing and chromaticism.

Charlie Parker lent him support on the day Konitz's child was being born in Seattle, Washington with him stuck in New York City. The two were actually good friends, and not the rivals some jazz critics once made them out to be.^[5] He has also had problems with his heart which he has received surgery for in the past.^[6]

In 1967, Konitz recorded The Lee Konitz Duets, a series of duets with various musicians. The duo configurations were often unusual for the period (saxophone and trombone, two saxophones). The recordings drew on very nearly the entire history of jazz, from Louis Armstrong's "Struttin' With Some Barbecue" with valve trombonist Marshall Brown to two completely free duos: one with a Duke Ellington associate, violinist Ray Nance, and one with guitarist Jim Hall.

Konitz contributed to the film score for Desperate Characters (1971).

Konitz has been quite prolific, recording dozens of albums as a band leader. He has also recorded or performed with Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, Elvin Jones and others. Amongst his latest recordings are a pair of trio dates with Brad Mehldau and Charlie Haden released on Blue Note as well a live album recorded in 2009 at Birdland and released by ECM in 2011 featuring the same lineup with the addition of drummer Paul Motian.

Konitz has become more experimental as he has grown older, and has released a number of free and avant-garde jazz albums, playing alongside many far younger musicians. He has released albums on contemporary free jazz/improv labels such as hatART, Soul Note, Omnitone and the aforementioned ECM.

He was scheduled to appear at Melbourne's Recital Centre as a key attraction of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. However he fell ill causing the last minute cancellation of the performance.

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

• 1949-50: With Tristano, Marsh and Bauer (Prestige)
• 1953: Konitz Meets Mulligan (With Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker) (Pacific)
• 1954: Konitz (Storyville)
• 1954: Jazz At Storyville (Storyville)
• 1954: In Harvard Square (Storyville)
• 1954: Lee Konitz With Warne Marsh (Atlantic)
• 1956: Lee Konitz Featuring Hans Koller, Lars Gullin, Roland Kovac (Swingtime)
• 1956: Inside Hi-Fi (Atlantic)
• 1957: Tranquility (Verve)
• 1957: The Real Lee Konitz (Atlantic)
• 1958: Very Cool (Verve)
• 1958: An Image: Lee Konitz with Strings (Verve)
• 1959: Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre (Verve)
• 1959: You and Lee (Verve)
• 1961: Motion (Verve)
• 1965: Trio and Quartet (Magnetic)
• 1966: Modern Jazz Compositions from Haiti (Impulse!)
• 1967: The Lee Konitz Duets (Milestone: OJC)
• 1968: Impressive Rome (CAM)
• 1968: European Episode (CAM)
• 1969: Peacemeal (Milestone)
• 1970: Lee Konitz Sax Duets (Music Minus One)
• 1971: Spirits (Milestone: OJC)
• 1974: Jazz A Juan (SteepleChase)
• 1974: Satori (Milestone: OJC)
• 1974: Lone-Lee (SteepleChase)
• 1974: I Concentrate on You (A Tribute to Cole Porter) (SteepleChase)
• 1975: Warne Marsh Quintet: Jazz Exchange (Storyville)
• 1975: Hal Galper: Windows (SteepleChase)
• 1975: Trio: Oleo (Sonet)
• 1975: Chicago 'n' All That Jazz (Denon: LaserLight)
• 1976: Lee Konitz Meets Warne Marsh Again (PAUSA)
• 1976: Figure and Spirit (Progressive)
• 1977: The Lee Konitz Quintet (Chiaroscuro Records)
• 1977: The Lee Konitz Nonet (Chiaroscuro)
• 1977: Tenorlee (Candid)
• 1977: Pyramid (Improvising Artists)
• 1979: Seasons Change (Circle Records (Germany), with Karl Berger)
• 1979 Nonet: Live at Laren (Soul Note)
• 1979: Yes, Yes Nonet (Steeple Chase)
• 1980: Martial Solal: Live at the Berlin Jazz Days (MPS)
• 1980: Heroes (Verve)
• 1980: Anti-heroes (Verve)
• 1982: Toot Sweet (Owl)
• 1983: Glad, Koonix! (Dragon)
• 1983: Martial Solal: Star Eyes, Hamburg 1983 (HatOLOGY)
• 1983: Dovetail (Sunnyside)
• 1983: Dedicated To Lee: Lee Konitz Plays The Music of Lars Gullin (Dragon)
• 1983: Art of the Duo (Enja)
• 1984: Wild as Springtime (GFM)
• 1986: Quartet: Ideal Scene (Soul Note)
• 1986: Medium Rare (Label Bleu)
• 1987: Quartet: The New York Album (Soul Note)
• 1988: The Space Jazz Trio: Blew (Philology)
• 1988: Solitudes (Philology)
• 1989: In Rio (MA)
• 1989: Konitz in Denmark (Rightone)
• 1989: Round and Round (Music Masters)
• 1990: Frank Wunsch Quartet: S'Nice (Nabel)
• 1990: Zounds (Soul Note)
• 1990: Once Upon a Line (Musidisc)
• 1991: Lars Sjosten Quartet: Friends (Dragon)
• 1991: Lullaby of Birdland (Candid)
• 1992: The Jazzpar All Star Nonet: Leewise (Storyville)
• 1992: Jazz Nocturne (Evidence)
• 1992: Lunasea (Soul Note)
• 1992: From Newport to Nice (Philology)
• 1992: Frank-Lee Speaking (West Wind)
• 1993: Rhapsody (Evidence)
• 1993: Renato Sellani: Speakin' Lowly, Volume 1 (Philology)
• 1993: So Many Stars (Philology)
• 1993: Rhapsody II (Evidence)
• 1993: Italian Ballads, Volume1 (Philology)
• 1993: Brazilian Rhapsody (BMG: Music Masters)
• 1994: Orchestra Il Suono Improvviso: A Venezia (Philology)
• 1994: Swiss Kiss (TCB)
• 1995: Haiku (Nabel)
• 1995: Umberto Petrin: Breaths and Whispers (Homage to Alexandr Skrjabin) (Philology)
• 1995: John Pl Indreberg: Step Towards a Dream (Odin)
• 1995: Don Friedman: Attila Zoller: Thingin' (HatOLOGY)
• 1995: Move (Moon)
• 1995: Free with Lee(Philology)
• 1996: Alone Together (Blue Note)
• 1996: Live at the Manhattan Jazz Club (GAM)
• 1996: Guarana (AxolOtl Jazz)
• 1996: Unaccompanied Live in Yokohama (PSF)
• 1996: Strings for Holiday: A Tribute To Billie Holiday (Enja)
• 1996: Lee Konitz Meets Don Friedman (Camerata)
• 1996: It's You (SteepleChase)
• 1997: Twelve Gershwin in Twelve Keys (Philology)
• 1997: Out of Nowhere (SteepleChase)
• 1997: The Frankfurt Concert (West Wind)
• 1997: Dearly Beloved (SteepleChase)
• 1997: Body and Soul (Camerata)
• 1998: Saxophone Dreams (Koch)
• 1998: Inside Cole Porter (Philology)
• 1998: L'Age Mur (Philology)
• 1998: Tender Lee (for Chet) (Philology)
• 1998: Self Portrait (Philology)
• 1998: Dialogues (Challenge)
• 1999: Dig-It (SteepleChase)
• 1999: Three Guys (Enja)
• 1999: Trio: Another Shade of Blue (Blue Note)
• 2000: The Axis Quartet: Play French Impressionist Music from the Turn of the Twentieth Century (Palmetto)
• 2000: rich Perry: RichLee! (SteepleChase)
• 2000 Quartet: Sound of Surprise (RCA Victor)
• 2000: Pride (SteepleChase)
• 2001: Franco D'Andrea: Inside Rodgers (Philology)
• 2001: Renato Sellani: Minority, Volume 2: All The Way (The Soft Ways) (Philology)
• 2001 Trio: Some New Stuff (DIW)
• 2001 Quintet: Parallels (Chesky)
• 2002: Matt Wilson: Gong with Wind Suite (Steeplechase)
• 2002: Irio De Paula: Duas Contas (Philology)
• 2002: Barbara Casini: Outra Vez (Philology)
• 2002: At the New Mississippi Jazz Club (Philology)
• 2003: Live-Lee (Milestone)
• 2003: Stephano Bollani: Suite for Paolo (Philology)
• 2003: Kenny Werner: Unleemited (Owl)
• 2003: A Day in Florence (Philology)
• 2004: BargaLee (Philology)
• 2004: Sound-Lee (Membran International)
• 2004: One Day With Lee (Capri)
• 2006: Ohad Talmor String Project: Inventions(OmniTone)
• 2006: New Nonet (directed by Ohad Talmor) (OmniTone)
• 2007: Riccardo Arrighini: The Soprano Sax Album: Standards (Philology)
• 2007: Brian Dickenson: The Glen Gould Session (Philology)
• 2007: Ohad Talmor Big Band: Portology(featuring the Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos) (OmniTone)
• 2008: Lee Konitz & Minsarah: Deep Lee (Featuring Jeff Denson, Florian weber, Ziv Ravitz) (ENJA)
• 2009: Lee Konitz / Dan Tepfer: Duos with Lee (Sunnyside)
• 2009: Lee Konitz New quartet: Live at the village Vanguard (Featuring Jeff Denson, Florian weber, Ziv Ravitz) (ENJA)
• 2011: Lee Konitz/Brad Mehldau/Charlie Haden/Paul Motian: Live at Birdland (ECM)

As sideman[link]

With Stan Kenton

• City Of Glass
• This Modern World
• New Concepts Of Artistry In Rhythm
• Sketches On Standards
• Portraits On Standards
• Kenton Showcase

With Gerry Mulligan

• Lee Konitz And The Gerry Mulligan Quartet
• Lee Konitz Plays With The Gerry Mulligan Quartet

With Miles Davis

• Birth of the Cool (1949)
• Miles Ahead (1957)

With Bill Evans

• Crosscurrents (1977)

With Gil Evans

• Gil Evans & Ten (1957)

With Max Roach

• It's Christmas Again (Soul Note, 1984)

With Lennie Tristano

• Lennie Tristano (1956)

With others

• 1947 - Claude Thornhill and His Orchestra: The Uncollected Claude Thornhill and His Orchestra (Hindsight)
• 1949 - Lennie Tristano/Warne Marsh: Intuition (Capitol)
• 1968 - Attila Zoller: Zo-Ko-Ma (MPS Records)
• 1972 - Charles Mingus: Charles Mingus and Friends in Concert (Columbia)
• 2006 - Francois Théberge: Soliloque (Effendi Records)
• 2009 - Jakob Bro: Balladeering (Loveland Records)

With Arkadia Jazz All Stars

• Thank You, Gerry!

With Kenny Wheeler

• Angel Song

Television appearances[link]

• SOLOS: The Jazz Sessions^[7] (2004)
• Weightless - a recording session with Jakob Bro (2009)

Public television series in the late 50"s with Warne Marsh,Billy Taylor, Bill Evans,Mundell Lowe and others.

Further reading[link]

Andy Hamilton: *Lee Konitz: Conversations on the Improviser's Art* (University of Michigan Press, 2007).

Crafted out of numerous interviews between the author and his subject, the book offers a unique account of Konitz’s life and music, detailing his own insights into his musical education and his experiences with such figures as Miles Davis, Stan Kenton, Warne Marsh, Lennie Tristano, Charles Mingus, Bud Powell and Bill Evans.^[8]

Compositions[link]

Lee Konitz's compositions included "Subconscious-Lee", "Thingin'", "Sound-Lee", "Palo Alto", "Kary's Trance", "Riffin'", "Self Portrait in Blues", "Back and Forth", "Figure and Spirit", "Ice Cream Konitz", "Dream Stepper", "Without You Man", "Rebecca", "Mr. 88", "Hi Beck", "Tautology", "Sax of a Kind", "Progression", and "Gundula".

References[link]

External links[link]

• A 1985 interview
• Lee Konitz: 12 Memorable Duets by Thierry Quénum (Jazz.com)
• Lee Konitz Trio: Live At The Village Vanguard by NPR

Bennie Wallace (born November 18, 1946) is an American post bop, swing music and jazz tenor saxophonist and composer born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He began playing in local clubs with the encouragement of East Ridge, Tennessee High School band director and drummer Chet Hedgecoth and professional reed player Billy Ussleton, who appeared as a guest at a stage band festival and heard Wallace with the East Ridge High School Swing Band. After studying clarinet at the University of Tennessee, Wallace settled in New York in 1971 with the encouragement of Monty Alexander, who hired him and recommended him to the American Federation of Musicians local, which virtually guaranteed his entry. Wallace played with Barry Harris, Buddy Rich, Dannie Richmond. His debut recording was done with Flip Phillips and Scott Hamilton in 1977.^[1] He has cited Sonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins among many major saxophone influences. He recorded on the revived Blue Note label in 1985; the original label provided much of the key music of his formative years, and the album Twilight Time was a tribute to the mix of musical styles he encountered in the local club scene of Chattanooga, such as the AmVets and Katie's Four O'Clock Club. Country & western, western swing, and rock & roll all required familiarity with key signatures and repertoire favored by "pickers" (guitarists). He has provided original music for Ron Shelton's films Blaze and White Men Can't Jump.

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

• 1978: The Fourteen Bar Blues (Enja Records) with Eddie Gomez, Eddie Moore
• 1978: Live at the Public Theatre (Enja) with Eddie Gomez & Dannie Richmond
• 1980: The Free Will (Enja with Tommy Flanagan, Dannie Richmond
• 1981: Bennie Wallace Plays Monk (Enja) with Jimmy Knepper, Eddie Gomez, Dannie Richmond
• 1981: The Bennie Wallace Trio And Chick Corea - Mystic Bridge (Enja) with Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez, Dannie Richmond
• 1982: Big Jim's Tango (Enja) with Dave Holland, Elvin Jones
• 1984: Sweeping Through The City (Enja) with John Scofield, Ray Anderson, Mike Richmond, Dennis Irvin, Tom Whaley
• 1985: Twilight Time (Blue Note Records) with Ray Anderson, Dr. John, Jack de Johnette, Bob Cranshaw, Eddie Gomez, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Scofield, Chris Parker
• 1986: Brilliant Corners (Denon) with Yosuke Yamashita, Jay Anderson, Jeff Hershfield
• 1987: The Art of the Saxophone (Denon) with Oliver Lake, Jerry Bergonzi, Lew Tabackin, Harold Ashby, John Scofield, Eddie Gomez, Dannie Richmond
• 1987 Bordertown (Blue Note) with Ray Anderson, Dr. John, Eddie Gomez, John Scofield, Herlin Riley, Jay Anderson u.a.
• 1992 White Men Can't Jump original soundtrack (EMI) with Aretha Franklin
• 1993: The Old Songs (Sledgehammer Blues^[2]) with Lou Levy, Bill Huntington, Alvin Queen
• 1993: The Talk Of The Town (Enja) with Jerry Hahn, Bill Huntington, Alvin Queen
• 1998: Someone To Watch Over Me (Enja) with Mulgrew Miller, Peter Washington, Yoron Israel
• 1998: Bennie Wallace (Beyond the Bluebird) (Sledgehammer Blues^[3]) with Tommy Flanagan, Eddie Gomez, Alvin Queen
• 1999: In Berlin with George Cables, Peter Washington, Herrlin Riley
• 2001: Moodsville with Mulgrew Miller, Peter Washington, Lewis Nash
• 2003: Nearness Of You (Enja) with Kenny Barron, Eddie Gomez
• 2004: Disorder At the Border – Live At Jazzfest Berlin (Enja) Oktett with Jay Anderson, Jesse Davis, Terell Strafford, Brad Leali, Adam Schroeder, Donald Vega, Donton Boller, Alvin Queen

As sideman[link]

• 1978: Franco Ambrosetti: Close Encounter (Enja) with George Gruntz, Mike Richmond, Bob Moses (musician)
• 1978: The George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band (MPS) auf: George Gruntz: The MPS Years (1971-80)
• 1987: Mose Allison: Ever Since The World Ended (Blue Note, 1987)
• 1999: Eric Watson: Full Metal Quartet (Owl, 1999-2000)

References[link]