Gavin Walker
Aug 25, 2007, 09:38 PM
Tonight The Jazz Show celebrates the birthday of the Second Messiah of Jazz.......Lester Willis Young, who was born in Woodville, Mississippi on August 27, 1909 and died in New York on March 15,(the Ides of March)1959. If Louis Armstrong was Jazz music's First Messiah because he made the improvised solo one of the most important features of this music then Lester Young has to be the Second Messiah as he came up with a totally new way of playing the tenor saxophone and pointed to the future of Jazz.
While most tenor saxophonists followed 'the father of the tenor', Coleman Hawkins, Young did not. Hawkins' sound was full-bodied, guttural, rich and deep like a cello. Hawkins played lines that were strongly connected to the chord changes and Hawkins had innumerable followers who developed their own styles. People like Leon "Chu" Berry, Dick Wilson, Ben Webster, Lester's best friend Herschel Evans, Prince James, and countless others were molded by Hawkins. Young had no followers until the next generation of tenor players came up. People like Sonny Rollins(in his gentler moments), Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Paul Quinichette, Sonny Stitt(on tenor), Gene Ammons, Jimmy Heath(on tenor), and even Charlie Parker acknowledged Young as being his primary influence. The whole "brothers school" of mostly Caucasian players like Stan Getz, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Brew Moore, Richie Kamuca, Allen Eager, Phil Urso ......the list goes on and on to contemporary players like Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen are all inspired by Lester Young, who was given the nickname "The President" or "Pres" or "Prez" by his dear friend, Billie Holiday. Lester's sound contrasted with the Hawkins sound and concept. Young's sound was haunting and diaphanous and his concept was to play over the chords by suggestion and 'passing tones' rather than the density of Hawkins' approach where he attacked each chord in a song.
Young came to prominence in the Basie band of the 1930's and each and every one of his solos are creative gems. He left Basie in 1940 to form his own band but did not like being a leader and rejoined Count for 9 months from Dec. 1943 until Sept. 1944 until he was unwillingly drafted into the U.S. army(They had been after Jo Jones, the drummer and Lester for months and a "friendly" patron offered them drinks on a gig then busted them as the patron was an army M.P.). To an individualist like Lester Young, the army was a devastating experience and that part of Young's life is well documented......he was given a dishonourable discharge and spent time in the 'detention barracks'(Listen to Prez' "D.B. Blues"). The great myth about Lester is that his playing is supposed to have diminished after his army life.........not so! Yes, his sound deepened and his phrasing changed but his quiet authority and his melodic mastery and his swing were all there right into the mid-fifties......yes, things did go downhill in the last two years of his life due to a life long addiction to booze and general ill-health.
Our Jazz Feature brings us to Prez out of the army and flying high with lots of energy ready to reassert his dominance as the foremost tenor saxophonist of his generation. Here is Lester in March of 1946 in Los Angeles with(aside from Basie) his favourite pianist, the one and only Nat "King" Cole(Nathaniel Adams Cole born in Montgomery, Alabama March 17, 1917 and died on February 15,1965). Cole like Lester Young was one of the most influential pianists in Jazz. When you hear Oscar Peterson, you are hearing Nat Cole. Tommy Flanagan, Hank Jones right up to contemporary players like Bill Charlap and Mulgrew Miller all have been affected by Nat Cole. His importance as a piano player has been diminished by his popularity as a great singer but make no mistake.....Mr. Cole is a musical "monster"!!!!! Cole and Young make a perfect match, they are old yet modern and they work their magic through standards, ballads and blues. As there is no bass on this session Nat Cole does double duty at the keyboard with a wonderfully flexible rhythmic appoach. A third musical giant in the person of drum master Buddy Rich(Bernard Rich born in Brooklyn New York June 30,1917 and died April 2, 1987) shows us his taste and his innate musicality and his ability to blend with any combination of instruments and play any style. This set is the sound of three musical giants that the world will never see again and yet this session is so relaxed and swinging like good conversation that everything just flows together effortlessly. Don't miss Lester Young's birthday tonight.
Also this evening will be a further tribute to the great Max Roach, whose funeral it was last Friday, August 24 at Riverside Church in Manhattan attended by over 2,000 people including Bill Cosby, Amiri Baraka, Sonny Rollins and assorted dignitaries and musicians. See you tonight.
While most tenor saxophonists followed 'the father of the tenor', Coleman Hawkins, Young did not. Hawkins' sound was full-bodied, guttural, rich and deep like a cello. Hawkins played lines that were strongly connected to the chord changes and Hawkins had innumerable followers who developed their own styles. People like Leon "Chu" Berry, Dick Wilson, Ben Webster, Lester's best friend Herschel Evans, Prince James, and countless others were molded by Hawkins. Young had no followers until the next generation of tenor players came up. People like Sonny Rollins(in his gentler moments), Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Paul Quinichette, Sonny Stitt(on tenor), Gene Ammons, Jimmy Heath(on tenor), and even Charlie Parker acknowledged Young as being his primary influence. The whole "brothers school" of mostly Caucasian players like Stan Getz, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Brew Moore, Richie Kamuca, Allen Eager, Phil Urso ......the list goes on and on to contemporary players like Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen are all inspired by Lester Young, who was given the nickname "The President" or "Pres" or "Prez" by his dear friend, Billie Holiday. Lester's sound contrasted with the Hawkins sound and concept. Young's sound was haunting and diaphanous and his concept was to play over the chords by suggestion and 'passing tones' rather than the density of Hawkins' approach where he attacked each chord in a song.
Young came to prominence in the Basie band of the 1930's and each and every one of his solos are creative gems. He left Basie in 1940 to form his own band but did not like being a leader and rejoined Count for 9 months from Dec. 1943 until Sept. 1944 until he was unwillingly drafted into the U.S. army(They had been after Jo Jones, the drummer and Lester for months and a "friendly" patron offered them drinks on a gig then busted them as the patron was an army M.P.). To an individualist like Lester Young, the army was a devastating experience and that part of Young's life is well documented......he was given a dishonourable discharge and spent time in the 'detention barracks'(Listen to Prez' "D.B. Blues"). The great myth about Lester is that his playing is supposed to have diminished after his army life.........not so! Yes, his sound deepened and his phrasing changed but his quiet authority and his melodic mastery and his swing were all there right into the mid-fifties......yes, things did go downhill in the last two years of his life due to a life long addiction to booze and general ill-health.
Our Jazz Feature brings us to Prez out of the army and flying high with lots of energy ready to reassert his dominance as the foremost tenor saxophonist of his generation. Here is Lester in March of 1946 in Los Angeles with(aside from Basie) his favourite pianist, the one and only Nat "King" Cole(Nathaniel Adams Cole born in Montgomery, Alabama March 17, 1917 and died on February 15,1965). Cole like Lester Young was one of the most influential pianists in Jazz. When you hear Oscar Peterson, you are hearing Nat Cole. Tommy Flanagan, Hank Jones right up to contemporary players like Bill Charlap and Mulgrew Miller all have been affected by Nat Cole. His importance as a piano player has been diminished by his popularity as a great singer but make no mistake.....Mr. Cole is a musical "monster"!!!!! Cole and Young make a perfect match, they are old yet modern and they work their magic through standards, ballads and blues. As there is no bass on this session Nat Cole does double duty at the keyboard with a wonderfully flexible rhythmic appoach. A third musical giant in the person of drum master Buddy Rich(Bernard Rich born in Brooklyn New York June 30,1917 and died April 2, 1987) shows us his taste and his innate musicality and his ability to blend with any combination of instruments and play any style. This set is the sound of three musical giants that the world will never see again and yet this session is so relaxed and swinging like good conversation that everything just flows together effortlessly. Don't miss Lester Young's birthday tonight.
Also this evening will be a further tribute to the great Max Roach, whose funeral it was last Friday, August 24 at Riverside Church in Manhattan attended by over 2,000 people including Bill Cosby, Amiri Baraka, Sonny Rollins and assorted dignitaries and musicians. See you tonight.