Opinions sought on Lester in D.C. recordings

[paul secor]

Boxes seem to be about all that Concord's good for these days.

Edited to correct a poorly written sentence - even tho it was a sort one.

Edited January 13, 2007 by paul secor

[montg]

I received Vol. 3 in this series as a gift for Christmas--the first of these CDs I have heard and I'm pleasantly surprised how good it is. Pres sounds very much in control, seems to be able to do pretty much anything he wants to do. And he sounds so happy and inventive. I'm looking forward to picking up some other volumes in this series, what a pleasant surprise. Oh, and the recording quality, at least for the volume I have, is excellent, even the bass is audible.

Were these recordings originally made by Norman Granz for Verve?

No - the recordings were done by Bill Potts with bassist Norman "Willie" Williams' recorder when Pres played with Potts' trio in 1956. The recordings (four of them, I believe) were originally released on Pablo LPs in the 1980's. I think the fifth CD was issued later.

Thanks for the information. Interesting it took so long for them to surface.

[mikelz777]

They were never intended for release but instead, for Potts' personal use. Lester was under contract with Granz at the time. I believe a bribe of a nice bottle of brandy persuaded Prez to allow the recording.

I have all 5 and enjoy all of them. The weakest link, IMO, is drummer Jim Lucht. Prez allowed a lot of space for the others to solo and in this case, I think he was too generous. The trade-offs between drums and sax can get a bit tedious at times. I think that Prez was in fine form and relaxed throughout the entire recorded engagement.

I remember being a bit lukewarm on these recordings the first time I heard them and they sat on the shelf for quite a while. Upon revisting them some time later I had to wonder what I was thinking the first time around. They are all well worth the listen and definitely recommended.

Edited January 13, 2007 by mikelz777

[Stereojack]

I bought these as they came out on Pablo LP's, and I'll join the gallery in praising them! It is very fine late period Pres. The rhythm section, while not exceptional, is adequate, and Pres smokes!

[Chuck Nessa]

I bought these as they came out on Pablo LP's, and I'll join the gallery in praising them! It is very fine late period Pres. The rhythm section, while not exceptional, is adequate, and Pres smokes!

Ditto on all counts. Nice to see this thread back up. I listened to the first 4 records last week and was pleased again. Thanks to Pres, Potts and Norman.