''Sound of Surprise'' is an album by saxophonist

Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz ...

recorded in 1999 and released on the French

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

label.

Critical reception

Michael G. Nastos of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

said "Yet another fine recording from Konitz, this adds to an already immense discography that seems to get broader and deeper as it lengthens". In

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

, Doug Ramsey wrote: "Moving deeper into his 70s, Konitz still records prolifically on a variety of labels, pursuing improvisation with a purity of conception and dedication to avoidance of cliches and practiced licks. His ratio of inspiration to parts used has always been one of the highest in jazz. ''Sound of Surprise'' demonstrates that Konitz’s originality has not eroded and may, in fact, have increased". On

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

, Marc Corotto noted "Konitz plays with his subtle subversive familiarity. ... Trading saxophone duets and guitar/sax spots, Konitz work is just another day at the office. His understated style rubs off on his partners, all playing in the “less is more” mode".Corrotto, M
All About Jazz Review
June 1, 2000

Track listing

All compositions by Lee Konitz except where noted # "Hi Beck" – 8:19 # "Gundula" – 3:47 # "Mr. 88" – 4:40 # "Bits and Pieces" – 3:01 # "Blues Suite" – 7:52 # "Friend Lee" – 7:33 # "Soddy and Bowl" – 5:40 # "Singin'" – 2:28 # "Wingin'" (John Abercrombie, Joey Baron, Ted Brown, Marc Johnson, Lee Konitz) – 6:42 # "Thingin'" – 7:26 # "Crumbles" – 5:34 # "Subconscious Lee" – 8:24

Personnel

–

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

* Ted Brown –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

* John Abercrombie –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Marc Johnson – bass *

Joey Baron Bernard Joseph Baron (born June 26, 1955 in Richmond, Virginia) is an American avant-garde jazz drummer who plays frequently with Bill Frisell and John Zorn. Music career Baron was born on June 26, 1955, in Richmond Virginia. When he was nine, ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Authority control Lee Konitz albums 1999 albums RCA Records albums