Centennial Celebration: Lester Young

Lester Young (1909-1959), one of the most important saxophonists in jazz history, is best known for his work in Count Basie’s band and his extraordinary collaborations with Billie Holiday. Centennial Celebration captures Young shining brightly in live performances from the ‘50s. The tenor master had a cool, laid-back tone, and by the time of these recordings, his influence had spread far and wide. The album’s first seven tracks capture a 1956 run at Olivia Davis’s Patio Lounge in Washington D.C., and Young, who is backed by a solid local trio, is super-fine. The album kicks off with a spirited version of the Young original, “Jumpin’ With Symphony Sid.” Things wrap up with “Just You, Just Me,” a song that displays Young's deliciously smooth sound. The uptempo “Undecided,” a 1952 cut recorded in Germany, features a hard-swinging band that includes trumpeter Roy Eldridge, pianist Hank Jones, and drummer Max Roach. The album closes with a great slow/fast pairing: “I Cover the Waterfront" and "Lester Leaps In,” tracks that showcase Young and the Oscar Peterson Quartet at a Hartford, Connecticut gig in 1953.