Lennie Tristano

In addition to being one of the denizens of the NYC 52nd St scene, pianist/composer Lennie Tristano was an influential and pioneering teacher of jazz improvisation. He had prodigious technical abilities as a player, and his pedagogical approach to teaching improvisation eschewed learning “licks” in favor of creating fresh original improvised music. His many compositions exhibit this somewhat stream of consciousness approach, uniquely original, often angular lines based on standard chord progressions. His linear approach to playing was championed by his best known students, saxophonists Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh, who utilized his concepts for their entire careers.