Lee Konitz was a key figure in the innovations of 1949 that became known as the birth of the "cool school."

'It seems impossible that Lee Konitz has left his 70s behind. It's not just the rigor of his tone or the creativity of his lines that belies his 80 years, but the spark he brings to his interactions with relative youngsters. German pianist Florian Weber, Israeli drummer Ziv Ravitz, and American Jeff Denson are natural collaborators for Konitz because they are his children embracing his long-held belief and practice in music that defies easy characterization, along with his love of risk-taking.

James Hale
DOWN BEAT January 2009.

Lee Konitz (who turned 80 just three weeks after this recording) was a key figure in the innovations of 1949 that became known as the birth of the 'cool school.' Over the decades, Konitz stayed true to his cool message: a mobile magician of the saxophone inventing new melodic lines on the spot, again and again and again.

Half a century later, three young students at Berklee College of Music found themselves in the process of forming an extraordinary trio: Minsarah (Hebrew for 'prism'). Like a prism, this trio breaks up conventional structures to bring dramatic, lyrical, melodic, and rhythmic facets to the surface.

The trio's pianist, Florian Weber, is a multi-award winner and a renowned classical player. American bass player Jeff Denson received the Berklee Outstanding Performer Award in 2002. Born in Israel, Ziv Ravitz was the house drummer at Tel Aviv's Camelot Jazz Club and a recipient of the Zildjian Scholarship Award in 2003. In 2006, the group received a German Record Critics Award for their outstanding self-titled album.

Additional Details

Label: Enja Records

Genre: Jazz

Run Time: 50 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 01/01/19

UPC: 063757951728