Lester Young

Lester Young
Young (left) in 1944
Young (left) in 1944
Background information
Birth nameLester Willis Young
Also known as"Pres" or "Prez"
Born(1909-08-27)August 27, 1909
Woodville, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedMarch 15, 1959(1959-03-15) (aged 49)
New York City, U.S.
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet
Years active1933–1959
Labels

Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional 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 what one critic called "a free-floating style, wheeling and diving like a gull, banking with low, funky riffs that pleased dancers and listeners alike".[1]

Known for his hip, introverted style,[2] he invented or popularized much of the hipster jargon which came to be associated with the music.[3]

  1. ^ DeVeaux 2011, p. 172.
  2. ^ DeVeaux 2011, p. 171.
  3. ^ "Charlie [Parker] was shy of hipster elaborations. He added nothing to the vocabulary, as did Lester Young, one of the great hip verbalists." Russell, Ross (1973). Bird Lives: The High Life and Hard Times of Charlie (Yardbird) Parker. DaCapo Press, p. 186