Lee Konitz’s use of standards’ melody in improvisation

Authors

Gonçalo Pazeres, NOVA University, Lisbon, PortugalFollow
Ricardo Pinheiro, ESML, Lisbon, PortugalFollow

Abstract

The main goal of this article is to examine the mechanisms through which Lee Konitz uses the melody of jazz standards in his improvisation process. Beginning with the transcription and comprehensive analysis of five improvised solos, and using the thematic analysis method, we identified melodic ideas coming from the songs on which the saxophonist builds some of his solos. Our conclusion is that Lee Konitz, besides clearly quoting the melody of jazz standards on which he improvises, also frequently uses some of its notes as target-notes, and develops melodic motifs inspired by that same melody.

Recommended Citation

Pazeres, Gonçalo and Pinheiro, Ricardo (2024) "Lee Konitz’s use of standards’ melody in improvisation," The IASJ Journal of Applied Jazz Research: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 9.
Available at: https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/iasj_journal/vol2/iss1/9