Merry Christmas to all!!

I was finally able to post a video on YouTube with the help of my daughter, Amy. Using her piano and video camera, I recorded my expansion of Lennie Tristano's Atlantic 1357 recording, based on "Melancholy Baby". The improvisation features fast paced, harmonically contrapuntal, open voices, many of which contain quickly moving 10 to 15 note aggregates, the thumbs and pinkies called upon to depress more than one note at a time. This particular performance was much faster than Lennie played it and slightly more harmonically complex.

The effect is unlike any other "locked hands" jazz-style heard outside of the Tristano school.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5C5gnAqgttY&feature=user

A funny post about Lennie Tristano on the Canaryville.com message board by Marv Friedenn:

"A message board about the dead is obviously problematic. The dead just lie there. They're not up to anything. So the message board is a posthumous hubbub. I don't need Lennie to have appeared at the foot of my bed reciting the famous address of Mooshoo Pork to the people of Paraguay in order to get a word in edgewise. All I need say is that while I have danced the tarantella, the spider dance, with Kant and Hegel (where you volunteer to be trapped in a web in order to document the spider at the risk of losing your mind), reading books about Lennie Tristano is now my current passion. Has anyone ever ended a book about an artist by depicting the artist kneeing someone in the balls? Yes, Peter Ind in JAZZ VISIONS: LENNIE TRISTANO AND HIS LEGACY, ends with Lennie's knee in Charlie Mingus's groin.

Charlie Mingus is much more important to Lennie's legacy than Charlie Parker. Mingus worked with two of Lennie's most thoughtful students, John LaPorta and Wally Cirillo. (I know this sounds like Italian-American Day but the fact is one could argue for an Italian influence on American music that complements as well as compliments the Afro-American contribution.) Mingus, who is not Italian, fronted the activity called the Jazz Workshop. It included Teo Macero (I think if not Mexican another Italian) who played melody that destroys melody so melodically that one feels guilty for not humming his solos. So Charlie Mingus, who went into jazz with the single goal in mind of beating up noisy customers, storms into Lennie's studio (page 204 of Peter's wonderful book) and demands that Ronnie Ball appear at once. For Charlie has a score to settle with him. Lennie says, "Ronnie's not here. Won't I do?" This is medieval Italian vendetta talk. Also mafia. In other words, Lennie is saying, Ronnie is family. Therefore, you're beef with him is with me, because however Ronnie has injured you, Ronnie and I are one because I know how beautiful he is. Therefore, deal with me. Mingus answers Lennie,"No [I won't fight you]. That's not fair. You're blind." Mingus already previews the review of the fight:" six foot six bass player beats blind pianist to a pulp. Shall we praise such a victor," the reviewer asks rhetorically, " or blaze him? " But Ronnie Ball has criticized Charles Mingus. We don't know how. And consequently, Mingus is hot enough to barge into someone's studio and knock a guest to the floor. Mingus accepts Lennie's offer to stand in for Ronnie. Charlie adds as an afterthought, however, "Well, let's turn the lights out to make it even." So Charlie's sense of fairness balances his enmity. Charlie accepts Lennie's offer to street- fight, but only under the condition that Charlie also is blind owing to lack of light. If you think about it, Charlie is absolutely right. If he can't see Lennie and Lennie can't see him, then Charlie and Lennie are equal, where equality is mostly what counts. Lennie replies, "I don't need the lights out. I'll take you on." So even though Lennie can't see his opponent, he (Lennie) feels confident that he can take Charlie in a street fight where there are no rules. Is this bravado on Lennie's part or is he Zatoichi, the blind Samarai pianist? So Lennie, who is at least a head shorter than Charles, "faced him, put his hands on Mingus's shoulders, and slowly brought his knee up into Mingus's groin." This is ballet as well as rumble. Lennie is saying, "Your balls will fall to the floor before my head has even left my neck. You, Charles Mingus, are about to be K-bombed." Charlie backs off. Peter sums up, "[the incident] did not break their friendship--but made the issue quite clear; no messing [with my students; with the embodiments of my contribution to the republic of art] ."

It's customary that at the end of a book the author take a last swipe at meaning. Peter ends his book strongly implying that the Charlie that's important to Lennie is Mingus even more than Parker. Because Mingus's workshop is where Lennie's busy beavers gnaw through the wooden columns that uphold a wooden world."

Thanks for the video was great to see your hands working the keyboard. Great lesson and I loved the Mingus story I knew of a women sax player named Laura who studied with Lennie and she had some stories of him and others that are priceless. This Saturday I am playing with a sax,trombone,and flute player named Sherman Mitchell who knows guy named Herman that studied with Lennie and he had some great stories also.Any way thanks for posting and maybe you and your daughter can make us another video to enjoy and learn from. DPVJAZZ

Thank you, DPV.

Amazing multi-harmonic aggregates.

Come back bro! Great playing and teaching. Maybe I'll get to study with you in New York someday.