Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
"Boring" feels like such a pejorative description. It's better to call this all-star summit conference of sleepy time jazz players, led by alto saxophonist Lee Konitz and including pianist Brad Mehldau and bassist Charlie Haden, in addition to Paul Motian on drums, "stately," "refined," or "relaxed". The fact that the tunes -- all standards -- are virtually indistinguishable from each other, and go on at least five, and in one case, ten minutes too long in order to make room for just one more lugubrious bowed bass solo from Haden or one more slow-motion Mehldau keyboard interlude, should not be taken as prima facie evidence of the emptiness of this sort of pseudo-event, all too common in New York jazz clubs. After all, the live audience eats it up, as can clearly be heard. But is this album of any value to jazz as a whole? It is not. This is the sound of three men whose reputations rest on work done decades earlier, and one younger man whose reputation is difficult to explain, delicately tiptoeing through six pieces, some of which have been recorded hundreds if not thousands of times already. It is as far as possible from the sound of jazz moving forward, or preserving the creative vitality that is supposedly the heart of the genre. If all you want is to hear four accomplished musicians playing standards, this album provides an hour's worth of that. If you want more from jazz, you're out of luck.
© Phil Freeman /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $17.49/month
Lee Konitz, Alto Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Brad Mehldau, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jimmie Davis, ComposerLyricist - Charlie Haden, Double Bass, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - PAUL MOTIAN, Drums, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Jimmy Sherman, ComposerLyricist - James A. Farber, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Roger J. "Ram" Ramirez, ComposerLyricist - Manfred Eicher, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2011 ECM Records GmbH
Lee Konitz, Alto Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - GEORGE DAVID WEISS, ComposerLyricist - Brad Mehldau, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - George Shearing, ComposerLyricist - Charlie Haden, Double Bass, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - PAUL MOTIAN, Drums, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James A. Farber, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Manfred Eicher, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2011 ECM Records GmbH
Lee Konitz, Alto Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Miles Davis, ComposerLyricist - Brad Mehldau, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Charlie Haden, Double Bass, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - PAUL MOTIAN, Drums, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James A. Farber, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Manfred Eicher, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2011 ECM Records GmbH
Jule Styne, ComposerLyricist - Lee Konitz, Alto Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Sammy Cahn, ComposerLyricist - Brad Mehldau, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Charlie Haden, Double Bass, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - PAUL MOTIAN, Drums, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James A. Farber, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Manfred Eicher, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2011 ECM Records GmbH
Lee Konitz, Alto Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - NACIO HERB BROWN, ComposerLyricist - Gus Kahn, ComposerLyricist - Brad Mehldau, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Charlie Haden, Double Bass, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - PAUL MOTIAN, Drums, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James A. Farber, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Manfred Eicher, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2011 ECM Records GmbH
Lee Konitz, Alto Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Brad Mehldau, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Charlie Haden, Double Bass, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Sonny Rollins, ComposerLyricist - PAUL MOTIAN, Drums, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James A. Farber, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Manfred Eicher, Producer, Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2011 ECM Records GmbH
Album review
"Boring" feels like such a pejorative description. It's better to call this all-star summit conference of sleepy time jazz players, led by alto saxophonist Lee Konitz and including pianist Brad Mehldau and bassist Charlie Haden, in addition to Paul Motian on drums, "stately," "refined," or "relaxed". The fact that the tunes -- all standards -- are virtually indistinguishable from each other, and go on at least five, and in one case, ten minutes too long in order to make room for just one more lugubrious bowed bass solo from Haden or one more slow-motion Mehldau keyboard interlude, should not be taken as prima facie evidence of the emptiness of this sort of pseudo-event, all too common in New York jazz clubs. After all, the live audience eats it up, as can clearly be heard. But is this album of any value to jazz as a whole? It is not. This is the sound of three men whose reputations rest on work done decades earlier, and one younger man whose reputation is difficult to explain, delicately tiptoeing through six pieces, some of which have been recorded hundreds if not thousands of times already. It is as far as possible from the sound of jazz moving forward, or preserving the creative vitality that is supposedly the heart of the genre. If all you want is to hear four accomplished musicians playing standards, this album provides an hour's worth of that. If you want more from jazz, you're out of luck.
© Phil Freeman /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 6 track(s)
- Total length: 01:11:18
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Lee Konitz Brad Mehldau Charlie Haden Paul Motian
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: ECM Records
- Genre: Jazz
© 2011 ECM Records GmbH ℗ 2011 ECM Records GmbH
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.
Playlists