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Artist
Lester Young
12+ albums
jazzsaxophoneswingbebopTenor Sax
about
Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and sometime clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most influential players on his instrument. In contrast to many of his hard-driving peers, Young played with a relaxed, cool tone and used sophisticated harmonies, using "a free-floating style, wheeling and diving like a gull, banking with low, funky riffs that pleased dancers and listeners alike". Famous for his hip, introverted style, he invented or popularized much of the hipster jargon which came to be associated with the music. Lester Young was born in Woodville, Mississippi, and grew up in a musical family. His father, Willis Handy Young, was a respected teacher, his brother Lee Young was a drummer, and several other relatives played music professionally. His family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, when Lester was an infant and later to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Although at a very young age Young did not initially know his father, he learned that his father was a musician. Later Willis taught his son to play the trumpet, violin, and drums in addition to the saxophone. Lester Young played in his family's band, known as the Young Family Band, in both the vaudeville and carnival circuits. He left the family band in 1927 at the age of 18 because he refused to tour in the Southern United States, where Jim Crow laws were in effect and racial segre
top songs
albums
The President Plays With The Oscar Peterson Trio
The Complete Aladdin Recordings Of Lester Young
Blue Lester: The Immortal Lester Young
Lester Young With The Oscar Peterson Trio
With the Oscar Peterson Trio
The Complete Lester Young Studio Sessions On Verve
Jazz Masters 30 - Lester Young
The Lester Young Story
Lester Young With The Oscar Peterson Trio (Originals International Version)
The Collection
Lester Young Trio
The Jazz Giants '56