ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an analysis of Lennie Tristano's "Line Up." Based on this analysis, specific characteristics of his style of improvisation are discussed and codified. "Line Up" is an overdubbed solo performed by Lennie Tristano with a pre-recorded rhythm section. The remarkable feature of the Tristano school, whose illustrious alumni include Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh, Billy Bauer, and others, is that it lends itself for improvisation as much as it does for composition. When listening to the recording of "Line Up," notice the inherent complexity of Tristano's lines, their incessant drive, and their swinging quality. The idea of rhythmic displacement is central to the Tristano style and is announced in the very first phrase of his seven-chorus tour de force solo. Tristano explores the concept of rhythmic displacement using different improvisational strategies, such as phrase displacement, metric displacement, manipulation of phrase accents, and melodic interpolations.
