Blues is the Preacher, Jazz is the Teacher

Lennie Tristano, blind & beautiful

Thinking about idiosyncratic pianists following the comments in the last post.  After Monk, my mind then turned to Lennie Tristano.  He was a genius of composition who taught everyone who played with him and made them that much better.  Lee Konitz, who played with Tristano for years and was a innovator in his own right, said:

'He was an overwhelming influence. I swear that ten years later I could identify someone who had worked with Lennie by the way they drank a glass of water.'

Have a listen.

I have a busy day ahead and I think that the upbeat music of Lennie Tristano will help energize me.  We could all use a little more genius in our life, don't you agree my friends?  It can help balance out some of the drudgery that surrounds us. Yesterday as I was going into a bookstore a man ahead of me leaned over, placed a finger over one nostril, and blew a line of grossness from the other.

Oh Lennie, help me rise up!