Jazz Saxophonist Lester Young: "He Swung like Crazy, But stayed Cool"

[@hezigler]

My favorite Lester Young quote. "Playing good music to a good audience is the most fun you can legally have with your close on."

[@skimanization]

Lester Young according to my opinion was the GOD of saxophone just as Louis Armstrong, trumpet, Sidney Bechert, clarinet, Papa Philly Joe Jones, drummer, Art Tatum, piano, Charlie parker, alto saxophone, etc. There's many greats who came after them and that's how jazz is and is going to be for the distant future!!!

[@1986mumbles]

You have the perfect voice for discussing jazz or documentaries in general. Good audio quality for your videos too.

[@orchidlilly7518]

I love your channel, been on a binge. Thanks so much onetrackjazz*

[@onetrackjazz]

and thank you for bingeing!

[@annapluskota3247]

Thank you.

[@texrenepablo3487]

How nice to hear about Lester, one of my idols along with Billie Holiday and John hammond🇦🇺🇨🇱

[@brendanmcnally9145]

Thanks, very well done. You do good work.

[@CaiusV.]

Thank you ❤

[@RichardWong]

I think all artists should strive to create original art. I see a lot of talk on KZbin about needing to transcribe and copy to “learn the language”. Was Lester Young spending all his time trying to transcribe Coleman Hawkins or whoever else was in his era? The reason why people talk about Lester Young still is because he was unique.

[@michaelroach4219]

I agree.It's good to listen to other musicians, but I think that it's better to play your music than to copy someone else's style.

[@RichardWong]

@@michaelroach4219 for sure. We can learn and be inspired by listening to others’ music rather than resorting to copying them. I like listening to Coltrane and King Curtis. Have never really tried playing their licks (and probably couldn’t to be honest) but I count them as influences.

[@hezigler]

Bird said the same thing. It's got to be what you are to be your music. He also said you really got to learn your horn.

[@michaelcinelli8793]

I love the videos, thank you so much for making these

[@beerybill]

Lester was a fine clarinet player. Examples can be heard with the Basie band on air checks..

[@tommyblack7998]

I heartily agree. There is a 1930s session with Buck Clayton where Pres plays clarinet. I heard that Benny Goodman gave him it, and that it was a metal one. The word is that he only stopped playing it because it was stolen. There is a late session (1957?) where he plays clarinet, but he was not well by that time.

[@bisket2003]

Wait, this was only uploaded a month ago? Da fuq? I just found Lester Young via Mingus. And now find this upload. Life is wild.

[@nicolasfrost17]

Amazing video. Any chance we can see one on Basie?

[@onetrackjazz]

stay tuned, my friend

[@risboturbide9396]

I want an Eric Dolphy video next, please! ☺

[@qwertyuiop32935]

Very nice song in the video, what’s it called?

[@onetrackjazz]

I get asked that so much, so I made a video of the 3 tunes I use the most. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4rHmIufj7mgZs0

[@annapluskota3247]

❤

[@jameswebb4593]

Lester was the inspiration of white saxophonists in the 40's and 50's , Getz , Cooper , Sims , Eager and most European Tenorists. The main man for Black players was Coleman Hawkins , who preferred the harder sound . Including John Coltrane , who has in my opinion been the most influential Sax player since Charlie Parker. Its rare to hear a Jazzman playing like Lester today . Personally I find the soft Anemic tone of Getz off putting , Rollins , Coltrane , Ervin , Adams have a far more expansive range in their playing , just an opinion .

[@tommyblack7998]

I am a tenor player and I never liked Getz's anemic tone either. He was technically excellent, but I went out of my way to avoid that sound. When I was about 20, a bossy local pianist had a go at me because I said that I didn't like Getz. By the way, I love Zoot, and had the pleasure of seeing him live on three occasions. By the time I saw Zoot, he had taken up the soprano, which came as a surprise to me. He sounded like Zoot an octave higher and did not have the oboe sound of Trane, which I also go for. Pres was definitely an influence on Trane - one of many that he absorbed. I disagree that black players went for Bean rather than Pres. They loved Pres. For me: I like both.

[@Bwahzehdezooner]

His work with Oscar Peterson is first-rate. He may have been "in decline" after the US Army, but there was nothing in decline about the Peterson sessions.

[@tommyblack7998]

I think Pres was not at his best on the session with Oscar. I never listen to it.

[@Bwahzehdezooner]

@@tommyblack7998 "Ad Lib Blues" is among his best, imo.

[@raepaul8158]

He called white people “greys” and called policemen “ Oxford greys” he called his fingers , my people 😊

[@tommyblack7998]

Imagine what he called the military! How disgusting that a man of his caliber was dragged into that unnecessary war, that Britain, France and America started. We have been lied to about that war for about 90 years, but the truth has emerged.