Blue Lester: The One and Only Lester Young (CD - 2005)

Personnel: Lester Young (tenor saxophone); Earle Warren (vocals, alto saxophone); Freddie Green (guitar); Hank D'Amico (clarinet); Harry "Sweets" Edison, Joe Newman , Billy Butterfield (trumpet); Count Basie, Johnny Guarnieri, Junior Mance (piano); LeRoy Jackson, Rodney Richardson (bass instrument); Cozy Cole, Jo Jones , Roy Haynes, Shadow Wilson (drums).

Liner Note Author: Bill Milkowski.

BLUE LESTER, a 15-track sampler of Lester Young's early recordings for Savoy, is an ideal introduction to the saxophone legend. Understated, lyrical, and possessed of a sly, nimble musical imagination, Young had a sinuous, laid-back sound with which he pioneered the idea of playing "cool" in jazz, launching--in effect--a stylistic revolution. Those qualities are abundant on BLUE LESTER, which features a host of Young originals (including the slinky title track, and the finger-popping "Jump, Lester, Jump"), and a smoothly swinging take on the chestnut "Indiana."

Young is presented here in a quintet (which includes pianist Count Basie and guitarist Freddie Green), a sextet (featuring pianist Junior Mance and drummer Roy Haynes), and two orchestras (which offer a nice, punchy counterpoint to Young's low-slung style). The high resolution digital transfers should please Young collectors and jazz purists. minimize