Lee Konitz (1927–2020)

Lee Konitz, alto saxophonist, has died of the coronavirus at the age of ninety-two. From The New York Times obituary:

Like many jazz musicians, Mr. Konitz often found himself plying his trade in bars and nightclubs, where the audiences were less than completely attentive. He professed not to mind.

“Wherever I’m at, I’m happy to have a chance to play,” he told the British jazz writer Les Tompkins in 1976. “People come in and say, ‘How can you work in this noisy little joint?’ I say: ‘Very easy. I take the horn out of the bag, and I put it in my mouth.’ I appreciate the opportunity.”

Here is an opportunity to hear a Konitz performance of “Stella by Starlight” (Victor Young), uploaded to YouTube today. All alto, all alone.