Konitz is sometimes regarded as the preeminent cool jazz saxophonist, because he performed and recorded with Claude Thornhill, Lennie Tristano (both often cited as important cool jazz proponents of the mid 1940s), and with Miles Davis' on his epochal Birth of the Cool, which gave the form its name.
Konitz has also been repeatedly noted as one of the few jazz saxophonists of the late 1940s and 1950s who did not seem imitative of the massively influential Charlie Parker.
In the early 1950s, Konitz recorded and toured with Stan Kenton's orchestra.
In 1961, he recorded Motion with Elvin Jones on drums and Sonny Dallas on bass. This spontaneous session, widely regarded as a classic in the cool genre, consisted entirely of standards. The loose trio format aptly featured Konitz's unorthodox phrasing and chromaticism.
In 1967, Konitz recorded The Lee Konitz Duets, a series of duets with various musicians. The duo configurations were often unusual for the period (saxophone and trombone, two saxophones). The recordings drew on very nearly the entire history of jazz, from a Louis Armstrong dixieland number with valve trombonist Marshall Brown to two completely free duos: one with a Duke Ellington associate, violinist Ray Nance, and one with guitarist Jim Hall.
Konitz was quite prolific, recording dozens of albums as a band leader. He also recorded and/or performed with Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, Elvin Jones and others.
These Foolish Things
Lee Konitz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh! Will you never set me free?
The ties that bound us
Are still around us
There's no escape that I can see
And still those little things remain
That bring me happiness or pain
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
A fair ground's painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you
You came you saw you conquer'd me
When you did that to me
I knew somehow this had to be
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
First daffodils and long excited cables
And candle lights on little corner tables
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The beauty that is Spring's
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
The lyrics to Lee Konitz's song These Foolish Things are a contemplation on the lingering memories of a past love. The singer is tortured by the unbreakable ties that still bind them to their former lover. They are haunted by memories, both good and bad, that continue to bring them happiness or pain. The object of affection manifests itself in a myriad of different things, some mundane and some grand, like a cigarette with a lipstick mark, an airline ticket to romantic destinations, or the park at evening when the bell has sounded.
The singer longs to be free of the memories but is immobilized by the ghost of their former lover, which they describe as clinging. Even the smallest reminders evoke vivid recollection, making it difficult to forget the love they once shared. The song ends on a bittersweet note, as the singer ponders how strange yet sweet it is that these things are still dear to them and bring their past love near.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! Will you never let me be?
Will you never give me peace?
Oh! Will you never set me free?
Will you never release me from your grasp?
The ties that bound us
The connections that tied us together
Are still around us
Are still present and affecting us
There's no escape that I can see
I can't find a way to escape these ties
And still those little things remain
The small details still persist
That bring me happiness or pain
That evoke either positive or negative emotions
A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
A cigarette that was once touched by your lips
An airline ticket to romantic places
A ticket to a place we went to together
And still my heart has wings
I still feel the euphoria of being with you
These foolish things remind me of you
These small items remind me of the time we spent together
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
The sound of a piano being played close by
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
My clumsy attempts at expressing my feelings to you
A fair ground's painted swings
The colorful swings at a carnival
You came you saw you conquer'd me
You swept me off my feet and captured my heart
When you did that to me
When you won me over
I knew somehow this had to be
I knew it was meant to happen
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
The spring season that fills me with joy
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
A ringing phone with no one to pick it up
The ghost of you clings!
Your presence still haunts me
These foolish things remind me of you
These small items remind me of the time we spent together
First daffodils and long excited cables
The arrival of spring and the anticipation of new communication
And candle lights on little corner tables
The cozy ambiance of candles on small tables
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The park in the evening after the curfew bell has rung
The 'Ile de France' with all the gulls around it
The Ile de France ship surrounded by seagulls
The beauty that is Spring's
The beauty of the spring season
How sweet to find you still
How wonderful to feel your presence still
These things are dear to me
These items are important to me
They seem to bring you near to me
They have the power to make me feel closer to you
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
The sound of trains passing through stations late at night
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
The discarded silk stockings from a night of dancing
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
The scent of gardenia lingering on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
Wild strawberries being sold at a low price
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The beauty of Greta Garbo and the fragrance of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The waiters whistling while closing up the bar
The song that Crosby sings
The music of Bing Crosby
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
The aroma of burning leaves and the sound of steam boats
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Two lovers walking on the street with a dream-like quality
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Harry Link, Holt Marvell, Jack Strachey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Evelyne Coulon
Dear Sean, I would be happy to get These foolish things in Eb if it is for free. I'm learning to play it but it is difficult to transcribe the whole tune from Lester Young. Thanks in advance.