Many people do think it's naive to improvise in front of paying customers. I'm not saying one way is better than another.
Lee Konitz

I'd like to feel that whatever I play is a result of whatever I've heard.
Lee Konitz

Sound is the first thing that we tune into.
Lee Konitz

A first love always occupies a special place.
Lee Konitz

I wish that person outside would stop coughing.
Lee Konitz

We all learn from each other, and I never really hung out with guys in that way, so I missed out.
Lee Konitz

I just completed a tour in Europe. I played every night. This requires traveling some days for six hours in a van or a train or a car. After six weeks of that, I checked into the hotel and just fell apart.
Lee Konitz

I could stop and say, Well that was a D minor, G seven, but I really don't want to know that. I just want to know that there's a combination of notes that makes a sound.
Lee Konitz