Lennie Tristano – pianist (b. March 19, 1919 – d. November 18, 1978)

was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher whose work developed an individual approach to improvisation that stood somewhat apart from the principal directions of postwar jazz. Born March 19, 1919, in Chicago, Tristano became associated with the emerging bebop environment during the 1940s, but developed a musical conception that placed particular emphasis on contrapuntal improvisation, rhythmic independence, complex harmony, and the interaction of multiple melodic lines. He also became an influential teacher whose students included Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh, and Arnold Fishkind. Tristano was born with normal eyesight, but lost his sight gradually during childhood, eventually becoming completely blind. His blindness did not prevent him from developing a broad musical education. He studied piano and music theory and attended the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, where he earned degrees in music. His formal studies gave him a strong grounding in harmony, composition, and classical repertoire, subjects that later informed his approach to jazz. During the 1940s Tristano began to establish himself as a pianist and teacher in Chicago and subsequently in... Read