lAlong with Coleman Hawkins and John Coltrane, Lester Young
is considered one of the three most important tenor
saxophonists of jazz. Before Coleman Hawkins, brass (and
especially trumpet) Were the dominant instruments in jazz.
Hawkins played the tenor forcefully, but Young's floating
light tone became on of the most copied in music. His focus
on melody and smooth, flowing lines set the stage for the
development of bop. Young is also know for his personal
vocabulary, he is credited with coining the use of "bread"
for money.
Young was born on August 27, 1909. As a child he
drummed in his family's band, but quit the group in 1928
and switched to tenor saxophone. Young first played
tenor with Art Bronson, and then several other bands. In
1932 he joined the Original Blue Devils, led by Walter
Page. By 1933 he joined Bennie Moten group in Kansas
City and also played with King Oliver, Count Basie,
Fletcher Henderson, and others. Young joined Basie's
group for four years in 1936. His first recording
session was in 1936 with a small group drawn from
Basie's band, Jones-Smith Inc. Young recorded many solos
with Basie, including "Honeysuckle Rose," "Taxi War
Dance," and "Every Tub." He also began playing with
Billie Holiday and played on many of her classics. She
nicknamed him "Pres" or "Prez", and Young gave her "Lady
Day." In the early 40s Young played with Basie, Red
Callender, Nat "King" Cole, Al Sears, and Dizzy
Gillespie. He also appeared in the short film Jammin'
The Blues.
In 1944 the US Army conscripted him. He spent part of
his time in a hospital and part in an army prison. Young
was discharged in 1945. His playing style changed after
the Army, but he continued to have some great sessions.
Young toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic throughout
the '40s and '50s. He made a series of classic
recordings for Aladdin. Some other highlights include a
1956 session with Teddy Wilson, Roy Eldridge and Jo
Jones. He had a triumphant reunion with Billie Holiday
on The Sound Of Jazz television special in 1957. He also
reunited with Count Basie at the 1957 Newport Jazz
Festival. Young developed a severe alcohol problem and
died on March 15, 1959.
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1940s Albums and CDs
1944 Kansas City Style Commodore
1944 Lester Warms Up Savoy
1946 Lester Young-Buddy Rich Trio Verve
1946 Lester Young-Nat King Cole Trio Score
1946 Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young Zim
1950s Albums and CDs
1950 Pres Lives! Savoy
1950 The Pres Savoy
1950 Swings Again Verve
1950 Pres Is Blue Charlie Parker
1950 Lester Young Quartet and Count Basie Seven Mercury
1951 Pres Verve
1951 Lester Young Savoy
1951 Lester Young Collates Mercury
1951 The Lester Young Trio Mercury
1952 Pres and Teddy and Oscar Verve
1952 Pres and His Cabinet Verve
1952 With the Oscar Peterson Trio Universe
1952 It Don't Mean a Thing Verve
1953 Collates No. 2 Mercury
1953 Just You, Just Me Charlie Parker
1953 Lester Young Norgran
1953 Battle of the Saxes Aladdin
1954 Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio,... Norgran
1954 Mean to Me Verve
1954 Lester Young: His Tenor Sax Aladdin
1954 The President Norgran
1955 Pres Meets Vice-Pres EmArcy
1955 Pres and SWeets Verve
1956 The Jazz Giants '56 Verve
1956 Pres and Teddy Verve
1956 Prez in Europe Onyx
1956 Lester's Here Norgran
1956 Nat King Cole-Buddy Rich Trio
1956 Lester Swings Again Norgran
1956 Lester Young and His Tenor Sax, Vol. 2 Aladdin
1956 Tops on Tenor Jazztone
1957 Going for Myself Verve
1957 If It Ain't Got That Swing
1958 Laughin' to Keep from Cryin' Classic
1959 Lester Young in Paris Verve
1959 The Lester Young: Teddy Wilson Quartet Verve
1930s Albums and CDs
1936 Giants of Jazz Time-Life
1936 Lady Be Good Jazztory
1936 Lester Young Time-Life
1936 Lester Young Story, Vol. 1 Columbia
1936 Lester Young, Vol. 1 [RCA] RCA Makin'
1936 Young Lester Young Columbia
1937 The Lester Young Story, Vol. 2 Columbia
1938 Giants of the Tenor Sax: Lester "Prez" Young... Commodore
1938 Lester Young and the Kansas City Five Commodore
1938 Tenor Sax: Lester Young, Chu Berry and Ben... Atlantic
1938 The Lester Young Story, Vol. 3 Columbia
1939 Lester Young Memorial Album, Vol. 1 Epic
1939 Lester Young Memorial Album, Vol. 2 Epic
1939 Lester Young Story, Vol. 4 Columbia
1939 Lester Young/Charlie Christian (1939-1940) Jazz Archives
1939 Prez's Hat, Vol. 1 Philology
1940s Albums and CDs
1940 Evening of a Basie-Ite Columbia
1940 Historical Prez Everybody's
1940 Lester Young Story, Vol. 5 Columbia
1941 Rarities Moon
1942 1944, Vol. 6 Masters of
1942 Nat King Cole Meets Lester Young Crown
1942 The Complete Aladdin Sessions Definitive
1943 1943, Vol. 3 Masters of
1943 Lester Leaps Again Le Jazz
1943 Pres at His Very Best EmArcy
1943 The Complete Lester Young on Keynote Polygram
1944 Jammin' with Lester History
1944 Master Takes Savoy Jazz
1944 Pres: The Complete Savoy Recordings Savoy
1944 Prez's Hat, Vol. 2 Philology
1944 Prez's Hat, Vol. 3 Philology
1944 Prez's Hat, Vol. 4 Philology
1944 The Immortal Savoy
1944 The Master's Touch [Savoy 1944] Savoy Jazz
1945 Lester Swings Verve
1945 The Aladdin Sessions Blue Note
1946 Compact Jazz: Lester Young and the Piano Giants Verve
1946 Prez Conferences (1946-1958) Jass
1948 Lester Leaps Again Le Jazz
1948 The President, Vol. 1 Jazz View
1949 Giants 3 Verve
1950s Compilation Albums and CDs
1950 Ultimate Lester Young Polygram
1951 Masters of Jazz: Lester Young Storyville
1951 The President, Vol. 2 Jazz View
1952 Giants of Jazz American
1952 Lester Young, Vol. 2 RCA Makin'
1952 The Essential Lester Young Verve
1956 Blue Lester Savoy
1956 Pres Collectables
1957 Lester Young's Greatest Intro
1957 Swinging Lester Young Intro
1960s/70s Compilation Albums and
CDs
1961 'Pres' Norgran
1961 The Pres: Jazz Immortals Series, Vol. 2 Savoy
1962 The Immortal Lester Young, Vol. 1 Imperial
1962 The Immortal Lester Young, Vol. 2 Imperial
1965 52nd Street Mainstream
1965 Chairman of the Board Mainstream
1965 Prez Mainstream
1965 The Influence of Five Mainstream
1975 Newly Discovered Performances, Vol. 1 ESP
1976 Again AJ
1976 Lester Young, Vol. 1 AJ
1990s Compilation Albums and CDs
1993 Jazz Hour With Lester Young: Lester Leaps In Jazz Hour
1993 The Master's Touch SJL
1994 Verve Jazz Masters 30 Polygram
1995 1937-39, Vol. 1 Masters of
1995 1939-1942, Vol. 2 Masters of
1995 1944, Vol. 4 Masters of
1995 I Got Rhythm Four Star
1995 Lester Leaps In ASV
1995 The Lester Young Story EPM Musique
1995 The Super Sessions Le Jazz
1996 1941-1944 EPM Musique
1996 1944, Vol. 5 Masters of
1996 Easy Does It: 1936-40 Past Perfect
1996 Lester Leaps In
1997 1943-1946 Classics
1997 Tenor King Prestige Elite
1997 The Kansas City Sessions GRP
1997 This Is Jazz, Vol. 26 Sony
1998 1943-1947 Giants of Jazz
1998 1946, Vol. 8 Masters of
1998 An Introduction: His Best Recordings 1936-45 Best of Jazz
1998 Pres: Jazz Immortals Series, Vol. 2... Savoy
1999 1946-1947 Classics
1999 Essential Masters of Jazz Proper
1999 Exercise in Swing Giants of Jazz
1999 The Complete Lester Young Studio Sessions on... Polygram
2000s Compilation Albums and CDs
2000 Afternoon of a Basie-Ite Proper
2000 Complete Recordings Definitive
2000 Ding Dong Proper
2000 Jammin' the Blues Definitive
2000 Ken Burns Jazz Verve
2000 Lester Dreams Definitive
2000 Lester-Amadeus Phontastic
2000 Pres in Europe High Note
2000 The Lester Young Story Proper
2001 Basic Years TIM
2001 Countless Blues TIM
2001 I Never Knew TIM
2001 Jammin' With Lester TIM
2001 Lester Leaps Again TIM
2001 Lester Leaps In TIM
2001 Lester Swings TIM
2001 Little Pee's Blues TIM
2001 Los Angeles to New York: 1944-1946 Cleopatra
2001 Movin' With Lester TIM
2002 1947-1951 Classics
2002 Chicago to New York to Los Angeles: 1938-1944 Fremeaux and
2002 From a Cool Perspective Raven
2002 Jazz After Hours Jazz After
2002 Le Jazz in Paris: Le Dernier Message de... Universal/Emar
2002 Lester Rides Again Past Perfect
2002 Lester Swings Giants of Jazz
2002 Lester Young: Portrait Past Perfect
2002 The Complete Savoy Recordings Savoy Jazz
2002 Vol. 1: 1939-1947 - The Alternative Takes Neatwork
2003 1936-1948: The President of the Tenor Sax Jazz Legends
2003 Kansas City Sax: Complete Kansas City Master... Jasmine
2003 Timeless Lester Young Savoy Jazz
2004 1951-1952 Classics
Live Albums and CDs
1946 Carnegie Blues Verve
1948 Live at the Royal Roost 1948 Musidisc
1948 Live at the Royal Roost 1948 Stockton Jazz
1951 Live at Birdland Bandstand
1953 Jazz at the Philharmonic (Hartford 1953) Pablo
1954 Town Hall Concert Mainstream
1956 Lester Young in Washington, D.C., 1956 Pablo/OJC
1956 Live at Birdland, Vol. 2 Bandstand
1998 Lester Young in Washington, Vol. 5 Original Jazz
2000 Les Incontournables Wea
2001 Live at the Birdland TIM
2002 New York to Los Angeles: 1938-1947
Videos and DVDs
Lester Young and Vidjazz
Song of the Spirit Song Of The |
