(August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959)
AKA
"Pres," "Prez"
Tenor saxophonist Lester Willis Young was born in Woodville, Mississippi. He rose to become one of the most important musical voices in jazz history, and features in the Alto Saxophone Tree of Lineage because of his impact on Charlie Parker.
Lester grew up in a musical family. His father was a teacher and band leader. By the time he was ten, he had learned the basics of the trumpet, violin, and drums, and joined the Young Family Band touring with carnivals and playing in regional cities in the Southwest. Young's early musical influences included Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Jimmy Dorsey, and Frankie Trumbauer.
In 1933, Young settled in Kansas City, where after playing briefly in several bands, he rose to prominence with Count Basie. Together they recorded The Kansas City Sessions as part of the group The Kansas City Seven;
Buck Clayton - trumpet
Dicky Wells - trombone
Lester Young - tenor saxophone
Count Basie - piano
Freddie Green - guitar
Rodney Richardson - bass
'Papa' Jo Jones - drums
Between the years of 1937 and 1941, Lester Young accompanied the singer Billie Holiday. These recordings have become some of the most famous and definitive in jazz history, and show Lester Young at his most lyrical and introspective. Young knew the lyrics to all the songs he played, and used them as a framework in his improvisations, particularly at slower tempos.
Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins were the first saxophonists to cement the tenor saxophone as the definitive jazz instrument. Young played in a very cool and relaxed fashion reminiscent of Benny Carter's approach. He played lengthy solos with sophisticated harmonies that encapsulated the aesthetic shift to modern jazz small group playing with extended solo improvisations.
His melodic approach and narrative architecture in his solos meant he has left a substantial body of work for saxophonists to study. Some of his greatest solos include Shoeshine Boy, Oh! Lady Be Good and All of Me.
Young's playing style was a seminal influence on many other musicians. His melodic structures can be heard in the playing of Stan Getz, Charlie Parker and Sonny Stitt. His swing feel and time playing was a huge influence on John Coltrane, and his influence was also cited by John Lewis, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Warne Marsh, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, and Paul Desmond.
Young features as the only tenor saxophonist in this tree of alto sax due to his substantial impact on Charlie Parker, the most important and influential alto saxophonist. Bird absorbed much of Young's melodic architecture, but his innovative approach to harmony was derived from Lester Young's vertical approach to playing chords. Parker developed Young's approach to arpeggiating chords by using higher extensions, an approach which defined the entire Bebop movement and has influenced every jazz musician since.
