I related earlier how, on my recent visit to "The Spice of Life," the doorman kept plying me with cassettes. Well one of them - Lennie Niehaus's "The Quintets" is an absolute gem.
Initially released in the early '50s on a series of 10" vinyl (and now accessible on Spotify) I recall, years ago, my sax teacher, Jackie Laing, loaning me one of them. Appropriatly enough, one of the first tracks was "I Remember You" and it is as good a version as you'll find anywhere.
Mention west coast alto players and, inevitably, Art Pepper, Bud Shank and Lee Konitz, spring to mind. However, Lennie was up there swinging with them. The effortless flow of ideas and the cool dry sound came over as unflawed and pure as water from a mountain stream.
It was no coincidence that Clint Eastwood used Lennie for many movie scores including "Bird" the Charlie Parker biopic.
Like his peers mentioned above, Lennie served time with the Kenton Band.
He is now 80, reportedly still playing and composing, and who knows but that there is not more to come from this talented musician?
Lance.
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