Lee Konitz death: Tributes paid after legendary jazz saxophonist dies from coronavirus

Konitz’s venerated 75-year career saw him work with many of the biggest names in jazz music

(3sat HD via youtube Jazz Green)

Lee Konitz, the legendary jazz saxophonist who was best known for his work with Miles Davis, has died at the age of 92 after contracting Covid-19.

Across the span of his 75-year career, Konitz worked with jazz greats including Lennie Tristano, Charles Mingus, and Ornette Coleman, becoming known for his ground-breaking improvisational style.

A hugely revered solo career saw Konitz still performing in his tenth decade, undertaking a tour of Europe in 2018. Following his death, tributes have poured in online.

“He was more than just a outstanding improviser,” said one Twitter user, ”he was also the greatest living exponent of a vital, coherent philosophy of jazz going back to Tristano. He stood for much more than his own work.”

“Every jazz fan owes it to themselves to dig in and appreciate the decades of incredible recordings he’s left behind,” said another.

Konitz’s most famous achievement was his work on Davis’ seminal 1957 album Birth of the Cool, which was recorded over three sessions in 1949 and 1950.

He died in a New York hospital, having developed pneumonia after coming down with coronavirus.

Earlier this month, Wallace Roney, another esteemed Davis band member, also died as a result of Covid-19. Konitz is survived by his five children.