Search - Lester Young :: Lester Young Story (Mini Lp Sleeve)

The Amadeus of Jazz.

ABH457 | New York | 01/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"No-one could have invented Lester Young. He just emerged with perfect, unique sense of both phrasing and timing. (His father BTW was a tough teacher -- who also taught Ben Webster). Lester Young was badly misunderstood in his early band days -- notably by the wife of Fletcher Henderson who berated him harshly for his easy, smooth tone and his way of laying out just behind the beat. The style of the day was the heavy stampeding sound of Coleman Hawkins. It was a revolution in the making and Mrs Henderson missed it. That's one reason why his first record session -- the one that produced the miraculous solo of "Lady Be Good" -- was recorded when he was already 27 years old. Oh, what we have missed!!
Lester Young turned the tide of jazz toward a more laconic, laid-back style, and ultimately toward bebop. But until he began to fade in the late 1950s he was one of America's unsung geniuses. It is amazing how few people -- even some musicians -- have heard of him today. You really must, if you haven't!!
These are the tracks that only a few got to hear in their day. Listen to him on the tracks with Benny Goodman and guitarist Charlie Christian -- Ad Lib Blues, I Never Knew, etc. The entire structure of "Lester Leaps Again" with Basie and his rhythm section is breathtaking. So is his floating entry into "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans" -- i.e., IF ITS THE MASTER TAKE. Does punk, or hard rock or any of today's popular musics have anyone with this genuinely original style. Frank Sinatra would not have had the sense of timing that became his by the 1950s had Pres not shown the way in the 1930s. Listen to his haunting, sexy, loving phrases behind Billie Holiday toward the end of "Me Myself and I" and you will have witnessed someone at the peak of an American art that few have scaled -- even in their own fields. His solo on Basie's "One O'Clock Jump" is a classic.
Reviewer Mahlser has got to spend some more time on the other three disks -- and then with all the Clef and Verve sessions that followed. He'll get it. And you should have this set at home, for yourself, for your kids and grandkids. Visitors will love it too. Oh yes, I recommend this set!!"

Almost all of early Prez is here, and what a package!

douglasnegley | Pittsburgh, Pa. United States | 08/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Proper is a newer label out of the U.K. that focuses on boxed-set compilations of some great American music - and not just jazz. This Lester Young compilation is amazing, especially for the price. Mostly all of Prez' classic early stuff is included - with Basie, Holiday - but what floored me was the inclusion of some of the 1943-44 (immediately before Lester had to go into the war) material with the small Basie groups including Slam Stewart, Sid Catlett, Buck Clayton, Freddie Green, and the "Kansas City Seven, Six, and Five": namely "Afternoon of a Basie-ite", "Destination K.C.", and more. I have most of this stuff scattered on various LPs ("The Lester Yong Story Vols. 1-5" on Columbia, and the aformentioned tracks with alternates on the Emarcy label) but to have a set like this on CD for this low of a price is a dream come true for anyone interested in Prez' best stuff. Yes, his post-war material is still good and valid, but there can be no doubt that this is the cream. I have only a few complaints: Where is "Evenin'" with Jimmy Rushing and the Count? That is one of Lester's classic solos and a classic Basie tune. I could easily do without "Blitzkrieg Baby", an RCA recording with Una Mae Carlisle in 1941. But that is nit-picking. Proper has many other great box sets of Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, and more, with great pictures and presentation. Someone has the right idea. It will be interesting to see which takes of some of these they have chosen. As a huge fan of 'alternate takes' myself, that is an important part of a great compilation. I see no way to go wrong with this set."

A no brainer...

placidothecat | MD United States | 02/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hard to argue with this one. 4 CDs of timeless, brilliant music, cheap, with good liner notes and, most importanly, nicely remastered. All of Lester Young's most important tracks are here and some harder to find gems as well. If you are looking for a first Lester Young purchase, this is a "no brainer" as they say..."