Lester Young
Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. He also played trumpet, violin, and drums.
Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most influential players on his instrument. He played with a 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 ethos which came to be associated with the music.
Read more about Lester Young: Early Life and Career, With The Count Basie Orchestra, Leaving Basie, Army Service, Post-war Recordings, Struggle and Revival, The Final Years, Posthumous Dedications and Influence
Famous quotes containing the words lester and/or young:
“That’s what the cat said to the canary when he swallowed him: “You’ll be all right.””
—Alvah Bessie, Ranald MacDougall, and Lester Cole. Raoul Walsh. Mr. Williams (Henry Hull)
“With my whole body I taste these peaches,
I touch them and smell them. Who speaks?
I absorb them as the Angevine
Absorbs Anjou. I see them as a lover sees,
As a young lover sees the first buds of spring
And as the black Spaniard plays his guitar.”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)