Remembering Lee Konitz: “Kary’s Trance”


Saxophonist Lee Konitz died of COVID-19 complications on April 15, aged 92. Throughout his career, he collaborated with many of the greats and was the last surviving member of Miles Davis’ band from the Birth of the Cool sessions. He is equally celebrated for his work as a bandleader and a key figure in the development of cool jazz, though he progressively embraced a freer style later in his career. “Kary’s Trance” is one of his signature songs. Written for 1956’s Lee Konitz Inside Hi-Fi, it testifies to his imaginative compositional skills and adventurous improvisational style.

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