by arwulf arwulf 　　  　　On June 11, 1955 pianist Lennie Tristano's quartet was recorded live in the Sing Song Room of the Confucius Restaurant in New York City. While most jazz recordings made in small public gathering places have taken place in nightclubs and bars, the restaurant mise en scene tends to be more subtle and intimate, and this in turn affects the music itself, as was the case when Duke Ellington's best ballad interpreters were recorded live at the Aquarium Restaurant in October, 1946. Gambit's double-CD set draws upon two magnificent double LPs released on Atlantic in 1980 and 1981, combining all the master takes from the Confucius engagement with four valuable bonus tracks. What makes the live recordings so special is the friendly interaction between Tristano, bassist Gene Ramey, drummer Art Taylor, and alto saxophonist Lee Konitz. For those who are so inclined, a bit of research into the professional background of each player will demonstrate just why this particular combination of musical minds is so intriguing. Taken in their entirety, these performances are valuable tools for comprehending the art of collective improvisation, which was greatly advanced by what these four men and like-minded jazz musicians were accomplishing during the mid-'50s. These are very accessible recordings which should make for comfortable listening under most circumstances. The effect is uniformly positive, and receptive hearts will find the music both relaxing and pleasantly stimulating. 　　  　　Konitz has since identified three important aspects of Tristano's methodology: try and be as spontaneous as possible, obey the dictates of your own temperament, and pare away inessentials. The first two tenets in particular resonate strongly throughout four innovative recordings from the spring and summer of 1955 which feature Tristano's overdubbed piano. He interacts with bassist Peter Ind and drummer Jeff Morton on the invigorating "Line Up" and "East Thirty Second," which was the address of his home studio where the bonus tracks were taped. The exciting "Turkish Mambo" and the ruminative blues "Requiem" are unaccompanied piano solos enhanced and expanded with overdubbing, a practice which was quite uncommon in the mid-'50s. "Requiem" is particularly fascinating as a rare example of Tristano improvising straightforwardly in the blues tradition. This compilation would fit perfectly with the Capitol album Intuition which combines the 1949 Tristano-Konitz-Warne Marsh recordings with Marsh's 1956 album Jazz of Two Cities. Anyone moved by the wealth of ideas and creativity in both of these reissue sets should seriously consider obtaining a copy of Proper's four-CD Tristano anthology, which is also appropriately titled Intuition.