Leonard Joseph Tristano (1919 - 1978) was a jazz pianist and composer. Tristano was blind from infancy and studied piano and music theory from pre-teen years. He is sometimes regarded as an unduly overlooked figure in jazz history. His interest in jazz inspired a move to New York City in 1946. ...show more

Leonard Joseph Tristano (1919 - 1978) was a jazz pianist and composer. Tristano was blind from infancy and studied piano and music theory from pre-teen years. He is sometimes regarded as an unduly overlooked figure in jazz history. His interest in jazz inspired a move to New York City in 1946.

Tristano's advanced grasp of harmony fit with the prevailing bebop movement, and he earned a reputation as a gifted pianist, performing and recording with bebop's preeminent figures, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Tristano formed a sextet, featuring saxophone players Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh, that recorded a number of acclaimed compositions, including 1949's "Intuition" and "Digression." Both songs were completely improvised, with no prearranged melody, harmony or rhythm. These two songs are sometimes cited among the first examples of free jazz and earliest free improvisations. Tristano's compositions - sometimes classified as cool jazz - are noted for their sometimes unusual structure, including use of counterpoint, a feature still rare among jazz performances.

Lennie Tristano released two important albums on Atlantic Records. "Lennie Tristano", from 1955, included a tribute to Charlie Parker after his death: "Requiem". "The New Tristano", from 1962, is regarded as one of the more important solo piano recordings in jazz. Some of his live performances were recorded and have been released. ...show less