In the spring of 1968, Joachim E. Berendt (above) of Germany's MPS label caught wind that alto saxophonists Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Pony Poindexter and Leo Wright were all in Europe touring separately. So he took a chance and reached out to all of them, inviting them to MPS's fabled recording studios in Villingen, in the Black Forest. Berendt also brought in pianist Steve Kuhn, bassist Palle Danielsson and drummer Jon Christiensen. On June 2 and 3, the seven musicians recorded seven songs. The result was Alto Summit. [Photo above courtesy of Joachim E. Berendt]
Three of the four of the alto saxophonists were stylistic disciples of Charlie Parker (Konitz was not), but what's more interesting about this album is what the musicians didn't do. They didn't wind up in a typical blowing session. Instead, their union was a highly sophisticated, almost free-jazz concerto, and not one of the musicians lagged, creatively.
On Friday, MPS will reissue this masterpiece for the first time as a digital download (at iTunes first and then MPS's site). The music remains marvelously provocative. All of the players are dangerously hip, as if they just stepped off the train at noon to rid the town of bad music. They're all top jazz gunslingers with different specialties, and the music is completely fresh, with each saxophonist stretching on solos and nudging each other to do the same.
Here are the tracks and the solos:
Native Land (Curtis Amy). Wright opens with a raw attack, followed by Konitz, Woods, Poindexter and then Wright closing it out.
Ballad Medley. This conglomerate of standards features Wright first on Skylark, Poindexter on Blue and Sentimental, Woods on Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You and Konitz on Body and Soul. The fireworks come at the end, when all four return to play their ballads together, at the same time. What a free-for-all!
Prompt (Benny Bailey). Wright kicks off his sassy blues followed by Poindexter, Konitz, Woods and Kuhn.
The Perils of Poda (Phil Woods). Woods arranged this piece, which sounds like a cousin of Blues and the Abstract Truth, with Kuhn soloing first, followed by Woods, Konitz, Poindexter and Wright.
Good Booty (Pony Poindexter). On this duet, Poindexter opens and Woods follows, with Kuhn and Danielsson adding solos.
Lee-O's Blues (Wright/Konitz). This is another duet, with Wright kicking it off followed by Wright and Konitz together and then ending with Konitz.
Lee's Tribute to Bach and Bird (Lee Konitz). What a showstopper! Konitz arranged Bach's Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein (Oh God, look down from heaven) followed by a complete transcription, played in unison by the four reeds, of Charlie Parker's Honeysuckle Rose solo from a broadcast with Jay McShann in Wichita, Kan., recorded on Dec. 2, 1940. The album is worthwhile for this one piece alone.
Jazz may have been going to the electric dogs in 1968 as music's cutting edge and influence shifted to San Francisco. But in Germany, in June, four superb saxophonists were in Germany with a leather-tight rhythm section creating a vinyl acoustic masterpiece.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find the new digital download of Alto Summit (MPS) on Friday at iTunes and then here.
For more information about the MPS catalog and to see the downloads released thus far, go here (let the page load with images before scrolling).
JazzWax clip: Here's Woods' The Perils of Poda...
