Lee Konitz is often associated with the "West Coast Jazz" school,while this is wrong geographically it is correct as as far as his influence on many of the players in the early 50's.One mentions his influence on Art Pepper,very minor,the big influence on Pepper was Benny Carter and Charlie Parker.Pepper was a member of the Stan Kenton band before Konitz and it was the Kenton band that brought Konitz to the West.Kenton was based in Southern California and drew the players from this area.Konitz was offered a job with Kenton,in i believe 1950-1 and approached his teacher and mentor Lennie Tristano about this decision to join a coomerecial big band.Tristano was adamant about Konitz not going with Kenton,concerned with the "commerciality" of Kenton's music,not to mention Lennie did not want to lose his best student.Konitz' decision to join Kenton caused a multi-year astrangement from the Tristano circle.During this time,the early 50's Konitz won magazine polls and became internationally well known,travelling to Europe with Kenton and making records there.His solos on the Kenton records became very popular among saxophonists.Otherwords,this choice to go with Kenton was a major pivot in Konitz' career.
He ended up in L.A. in the early 50's and "sat in" with the Gerry Mulligan/Chet Baker group,of course he knew Mulligan from the Birth of the cool bands and before that,the Claude Thornhill orchestra.It is these recordings that seem to tie Konitz to the "West Coast" school.
Certainly these early 50's Lee Konitz recordings can't be praised enough,as noted above,this was a rare departure from the Bird's overwhelming influence,and it was more than a deaparture,it was a fully formed and totally distinct approach to the saxophone.As Warne Marsh used to say"The YOUNG Lee Konitz was a beautiful thing" and that is very true.
The whole "West Coast" Jazz moniker has always been a confusing one.Lots of the remaining Big bands were centered in L.A. and this brought lots of musicians to the area,notably Kenton and Woody Herman.The scene evolved almost a good ten years after the birth of Be-Bop in New York and the lack of actual Jazz club work called for more "woodsheding" and rehearsal groups...Jimmy Giuffre,Chico Hamilton,Bob Brookmeyer.There was more experimintation without commercial scrutiny.Interesting,that many of these musicians had to return to New York to work and let these ideas breathe.Mingus was a good example of this,although a few years earlier.Dolphy,Giuffre,Brookmeyer,Jim Hall and others gravitated back to New York to make the music that was born in garages in L.A. bY 1954 Lee Konitz was finished with Kenton and ready himself to return to New York to start the next chapter of his music.His association with the West Coast school of Jazz,such as it was,well behind him.
