SUNDAY JAZZ
LENNIE TRISTANO
Lennie Tristano - Personal Recordings 1946-1970 [2021] (6 x CDs)
Listening to Personal Recordings 1946–1970 feels different from hearing a formal studio set. The recordings arrive unevenly, some close and clear, others distant or fragile, but that inconsistency becomes part of the experience rather than a distraction. Issued in 2021 by Elemental Music, the collection opens a quieter side of Lennie Tristano’s world.
The piano sits at the centre throughout, measured and deliberate. Lines unfold patiently, often circling around an idea before settling into it. Even in looser passages, the structure underneath remains firm. There is very little excess in the playing, no sudden gestures, no dramatic shifts in tone. The phrasing carries the movement.
Because these are personal and archival recordings, the pacing feels less arranged than discovered. Fragments, rehearsals, informal performances, and longer stretches sit side by side without trying to smooth over the gaps between them. That gives the set a different kind of continuity, one built from process rather than presentation.
As the discs move across the years, the changes are subtle. The approach deepens rather than transforms. Similar harmonic ideas return in different forms, each performance leaning slightly away from the last without fully departing from it.
The set feels like being allowed into the middle of an ongoing conversation. The details accumulate quietly, until the recordings begin to reveal not just the pianist, but the way he thought through the instrument over time. (B)
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Track lists
CD1
01 Lennie Tristano - Rhythm 3:21
02 Lennie Tristano - Lennie's Song 4:09
03 Lennie Tristano - Surrender 3:10
04 Lennie Tristano - Stream Line 2:41
05 Lennie Tristano - Day and Night 3:10
06 Lennie Tristano - Rhapsody 3:14
07 Lennie Tristano - Three for Tea 4:40
08 Lennie Tristano - Streamin' 7:08
09 Lennie Tristano - Depend on Me 7:18
10 Lennie Tristano - Just Fine 5:57
11 Lennie Tristano - September Rain 4:19
12 Lennie Tristano - Mystery 2:02
13 Lennie Tristano - Under Your Spell 3:16
14 Lennie Tristano - Cosmology 2:33
15 Lennie Tristano - Restoration 2:30
CD2
01 Lennie Tristano - Spectrum 1:50
02 Lennie Tristano - New Pennies 5:10
03 Lennie Tristano - Lennie's Blues 4:16
04 Lennie Tristano - Dusk 2:35
05 Lennie Tristano - These Foolish Things 3:03
06 Lennie Tristano - Tania's Dance 1:49
07 Lennie Tristano - Call it Love 4:33
08 Lennie Tristano - C Minor Fantasy 1:46
09 Lennie Tristano - No Foolin' 3:31
10 Lennie Tristano - When Your Lover Has Gone 2:29
11 Lennie Tristano - Bud Line 1:36
12 Lennie Tristano - Studio Time Medley 4:39
13 Lennie Tristano - Palo Alto Days 2:50
14 Lennie Tristano - Foolish Again 2:15
15 Lennie Tristano - The Avenue 1:39
16 Lennie Tristano - Sonnet 4:35
17 Lennie Tristano - Swing Time 3:26
18 Lennie Tristano - Love Chords 3:57
CD3
01 Lennie Tristano - Live Free 1:56
02 Lennie Tristano - Sound-Lee 9:39
03 Lennie Tristano - Lennie's Changes 10:26
04 Lennie Tristano - Ice Cream Konitz 9:45
05 Lennie Tristano - Fishin' Around 11:12
06 Lennie Tristano - Band Excerpt 5:15
07 Lennie Tristano - You Go to My Head 4:37
08 Lennie Tristano - Sax of a Kind 5:21
CD4
01 Lennie Tristano - Lennie's Lines 5:34
02 Lennie Tristano - My Melancholy Baby 7:43
03 Lennie Tristano - Oceans Deep 4:02
04 Lennie Tristano - That Trading Feeling 5:47
05 Lennie Tristano - You Go to My Head 6:52
06 Lennie Tristano - London Blues 4:18
07 Lennie Tristano - There Will Never Be Another You 5:09
08 Lennie Tristano - Session Wave 5:56
09 Lennie Tristano - Movin' Along 3:48
10 Lennie Tristano - Trio Lines 7:40
11 Lennie Tristano - Lennie's Place 6:41
CD5
01 Lennie Tristano - Duo Days 4:53
02 Lennie Tristano - Dream Sequence 7:07
03 Lennie Tristano - Melancholy Up 5:06
04 Lennie Tristano - Forever Lines 10:14
05 Lennie Tristano - Friends 4:13
06 Lennie Tristano - You Go to My Head 9:41
07 Lennie Tristano - I Should Care 7:15
08 Lennie Tristano - Lennie's Groove 9:14
CD6
01 Lennie Tristano - Transformations 2:29
02 Lennie Tristano - Dialogue 2:27
03 Lennie Tristano - Digression Expanse 3:09
04 Lennie Tristano - Pinochle Jump 1:58
05 Lennie Tristano - Story 3:09
06 Lennie Tristano - Ensemble Tune 2:14
07 Lennie Tristano - Formation 3:29
08 Lennie Tristano - Sonny's Variation 1:08
09 Lennie Tristano - Swingin' at the Half Note 8:41
10 Lennie Tristano - Lennie's Dream 7:09
11 Lennie Tristano - Smilin' Groove 5:07
12 Lennie Tristano - Mine 0:51
13 Lennie Tristano - Hudson Street 9:03
14 Lennie Tristano - How Deep is the Ocean 10:42
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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.
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Thanks for Lennie set. I am not familiar with this artist but glad to check him out! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteCheers.,
Mike M
Hi Mike,
DeleteLennie’s one of those artists who rewards a curious ear. At first glance he can seem a little austere, but once you settle into his phrasing and the way he shapes a line, the whole world of his music opens up. These personal recordings show him in a more intimate light, working ideas out, stretching forms, and letting the piano speak without any polish getting in the way. Hope you find something in there that grabs you.
Cheers.
Ah: The creator of Cool (but let's not forget Evans and Miles)! Until now, the only work I had from Tristano was his 1956 s-t album. I haven’t listened to that album in its entirety and with the proper attention nearly often enough—and I haven’t really listened to the artist at all in years. It’s a shame. This collection is sure to change that; I’m really looking forward to it, BB. Thank you very much & Best, TC
ReplyDeleteHi TC,
DeleteThat 1956 self‑titled album is a beautiful doorway into Lennie’s world, but these personal recordings open it even wider. You get to hear him thinking in real time, shaping ideas, stretching harmony, and finding that cool, weightless phrasing that influenced so many players around him.
If this set nudges you back into his music, all the better. There’s a lot of depth waiting once you settle into his approach.
Cheers.
Not for nothing, but, I know you work hard on this site, but there is no rhyme or reason to what is posted. It just seems like a pure vanity project to me. Might as well just type "music" in the search bar of any search engine and see what pops up.
ReplyDeleteDon't mean to hurt your feelings, but I am also a huge collector of music and am acquainted with every musical style from the very dawn of recorded music from every continent and country. Just think you should be more selective. Butterboy plays these songs. So.....
Hi Eye,
DeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts. I’ll be honest, coming from someone who clearly prides themselves on a deep and wide musical knowledge, your take feels a little quick on the draw. Calling the work “without rhyme or reason” isn’t insight, its projection, a sweeping conclusion that doesn’t hold up under a closer look.
Selectivity isn’t about narrowing the field, it’s about choosing with purpose, and that’s exactly what happens here.
The blog has always been a mix of themes, eras, curiosities, deep dives, and listener requests. It’s not a single‑lane project, and the variety is intentional, not random. The range is shaped by history, mood, research, and the pleasure of discovery. Variety is part of the design, not a lack of direction.
If it reads as a vanity exercise to you, that’s fine, but the selections are put together with care and a long view of musical history. Many people find threads and discoveries here they don’t get from a search engine, which is exactly what curation is for.
Still, I appreciate you stopping by and saying your piece.
Cheers.
One of Mosaic's very finest? What a treasure. You can sit down comfortably, and listen the whole way through and just forget everything around you. Like, you're sitting in the room or studio with Tristano. I mean, one such album's great already, but six, what can you say? Fantastic - you gave Sunday Jazz that extra shine again, BB, thank you very much. Take care, grtz.
ReplyDeleteHi J_M,
DeleteThis set really is among Mosaic’s finest. There’s something about hearing Lennie in these rooms and rehearsal spaces that pulls you right into his world. The focus, the patience, the way he shapes a phrase without ever raising his voice, it all feels close enough to touch.
If it adds a little extra shine to your Sunday listening, that makes me happy.
Cheers.
I have to admit I was not aware of this set's existence .... I have been listening to the Tristano/Marsh/Konitz set you posted a short while ago. Tristano's playing requires careful and repeated listening just to get a faint idea of what he is doing. A musicologist can explain how unusual and innovative T's compositions and playing were for his time; as a lay listener I am struggling to understand what is going on here. That said, I am looking forward to listening to this set, a quick search tells me it received rather enthusiastic reviews in the jazz press upon release.
ReplyDeleteHi albrecht koschnik,
DeleteYou’re right, this set isn’t widely known, and it’s a fascinating window into how Tristano thought and played when no one was watching. His music can feel like a puzzle at first, the lines so precise and self‑contained that it takes a few listens before the shape of it starts to reveal itself. Marsh and Konitz always seem to float through that world with ease, but Tristano’s own phrasing asks for a bit more patience.
The reviews were indeed glowing when this collection surfaced, and it’s the kind of material that rewards slow, curious listening. Hope it opens up a few new pathways into his work for you.
Cheers.