Grace Kelly & Lee Konitz - Gracefullee

2008 CD release.

The musical pairing of two alto saxophonists, Grace Kelly and Lee Konitz, on Gracefullee is a May-December wedding with a vengeance. At the January 2008 session, Konitz was 80 years old, and Kelly was 15. Happily, you wouldn't know that simply by listening to the disc, which began with the intention of only doing two songs, but grew to a full-length CD. Konitz has been a sponsor of Kelly, so his influence on her is to be expected, and the similarity between them is on display on "You Don't Know What Love Is." But differences are apparent elsewhere. On "There Is No Greater Love," which begins with Kelly and ends with Konitz, she seems careful and precise, while he takes off.

The two get to fly on two numbers, "Alone Together" and "Buzzing Around," when they are unaccompanied by other musicians, with "Buzzing Around" made up on the spot. Other numbers are also done as "free improvisation," notably the closer, "NY at Noon," in which bassist Rufus Reid, guitarist Russell Malone, and drummer Matt Wilson also join in. This album may not have been planned as such, but it ends up being as accomplished a session as many that were set out in advance.

William Ruhlmann ~ AllMusicGuide