Biography

A man of poetic sensibilities, tenor saxophonist Lester Young was the instrument's most influential figure in the pre-bop era. A featured soloist with the great Count Basie band of the late 1930s, Young scaled the heights on classic recordings of "Taxi War Dance" and "Lester Leaps In." Although some claim that mental and physical abuse while in the military cast a shadow on his postwar work, there is ample evidence on record of unabated brilliance up until his premature death in 1959. His solo work, characterized by a light sound, asymmetrical, behind-the-beat phrasing, and a startling sense of originality, remains unsurpassed in its depth and delicacy of expression.

Top Tracks

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• (i Don't Stand A) Ghost Of A Chance

• (it Takes) Two To Tango: Rehearsal, False Start And Chatter, ...

• A Foggy Day

• After Theatre Jump

• Afternoon Of A Basie-ite

• All Of Me

• Almost Like Being In Love

• Back In Your Own Backyard

• Basie English

• Blue Lester

• Body And Soul

• Confessin'

• Crazy Over J-z

• D.b. Blues

• Dickie's Dream

• Embraceable You

• Gypsy In My Soul

• Honeysuckle Rose

• I Can't Get Started

• I Cover The Waterfront

• I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You

• I Got Rhythm

• I'll Never Be The Same

• I'm Confessin' That I Love You

• It Don't Mean A Thing (if It Ain't Got That Swing)

• It Takes Two To Tango

• It's Only A Paper Moon

• I've Found A New Baby

• Jeepers Creepers

• Jump, Lester, Jump

• Jumpin' At The Woodside

• Jumpin' With Symphony Sid

• June Bug

• Just You, Just Me

• Lady Be Good

• Lester Blows Again

• Lester Leaps Again

• Lester Leaps In

• Lester Smooths It Out

• Lester Swings

• Lester's Dream

• Love Is Here To Stay

• Lover, Come Back To Me

• Lullaby Of Birdland

• Mean To Me

• Neenah

• Oh Lady, Be Good

• Oh, Lady Be Good

• Oh, Lady Be Good!

• On The Sunny Side Of The Street

• One O'clock Jump

• Pagin' The Devil

• Pennies From Heaven

• Pete's Cafe

• Please Let Me Forget

• Polka Dots And Moonbeams

• Prisoner Of Love

• Shoe Shine Boy

• Sometimes I'm Happy

• Taxi War Dance

• Tea For Two

• The Man I Love

• These Foolish Things

• They Can't Take That Away From Me

• Three Little Words

• Tickle Toe

• Too Marvelous For Words

• Twelfth Street Rag

• Upright Organ Blues

Discography

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• Hall of Fame [Box Set]

  Past Perfect

  2002

• In Washington, D.C. 1956, Vol. 5

  Original Jazz Classics

  1998

• Pres

  1961

• The Lester Young: Teddy Wilson Quartet

  Verve

  1959

• Laughin' to Keep from Cryin'

  Verve / PolyGram

  1958

• Going for Myself

  Verve

  1957

• If It Ain't Got That Swing

  1957

• Lester's Here

  Norgran

  1956

• Tops on Tenor

  Jazztone

  1956

• Lester Young and His Tenor Sax, Vol. 2

  Aladdin Records

  1956

• Nat King Cole-Buddy Rich Trio

  1956

• Lester Swings Again

  Norgran

  1956

• Pres Meets Vice-Pres

  Emarcy

  1955

• Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio, Vol. 2

  Norgran

  1954

• Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio, Vol. 1

  Norgran

  1954

• Lester Young: His Tenor Sax

  Aladdin Records

  1954

• The President

  Norgran

  1954

• Town Hall Concert

  Mainstream

  1954

• Just You, Just Me

  Dreyfus Records

  1953

• Battle of the Saxes

  Aladdin Records

  1953

• It Don't Mean a Thing

  Verve

  1952

• Kansas City Style

  Commodore Records

  1952

• Lester Young Collates

  Mercury

  1951

• Pres Lives!

  Savoy

  1950

• Lester Young Quartet and Count Basie Seven

  Mercury

  1950

• Live! From the Royal Roost

  Unique Jazz

  1948