pryan Posted July 3, 2003 Report Share Posted July 3, 2003 Last fall on that other BB, I posted a thread asking for Lester Young recommendations. JSngry said to get all the Pres available and now I know that he wasn't joking at all. I've since become a Prez fanatic, having bought numerous albums (which I will list below) and read two books on the man. Here is what I have so far: - A MUSICAL ROMANCE (w/ Billie) - THE KANSAS CITY SESSIONS - THE COMPLETE ALADDIN SESSIONS - LESTER YOUNG TRIO (w/ Nat King Cole and Buddy Rich) - PRES AND TEDDY - JAZZ GIANTS '56 - LE DERNIER MESSAGE DE LESTER YOUNG - THE COMPLETE SAVOY SESSIONS - CHRONOLOGICAL CLASSICS 1939, VOL. 2 (actually under Basie's name) So the question is, where do I go from here? Of what I've seen locally under Lester's name (of which I don't own, besides the Verve box - I'd rather get the individual albums, because I'll listen to them more often) are LAUGHIN' TO KEEP FROM CRYING (of which I've heard mixed reviews) and LIVE IN WASHINGTON, vol. 5 (w/the Bill Potts trio). Any comments on these two or any (especially) other more obscure Prez recordings are most appreciated. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catesta Posted July 3, 2003 Report Share Posted July 3, 2003 (edited) Lester Young With The Oscar Peterson Trio Laughin' To Keep From Cryin' is a must. Edited July 3, 2003 by catesta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted July 3, 2003 Report Share Posted July 3, 2003 Try to find Pres' live dates at Birdland. They've been out on Jazz View, on Jazz Band, and others. Give 'em time and they'll be out on Definitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pryan Posted July 3, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2003 Lester Young With The Oscar Peterson Trio I have that album; I think that's the only one I left off the list. It's one of my faves too, strange how I forgot it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted July 4, 2003 Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 I only have vols. 1-3 of the Washington, D.C. sessions with Bill Potts' group, but I recommend all three. Wonderful Pres, and proof that he still had it late in his playing career (though he was only forty seven when these recordings were done). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold_Z Posted July 4, 2003 Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 Don't miss the Leser Young Commodore sessions. For me those are a must. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mnytime Posted July 4, 2003 Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 (edited) What JSngry said! Though for a more immediate pick up I would go with the Verve Box set. Than all the others mentioned already and than on to the rest as per JSngry's wise recommendation. Edited July 4, 2003 by Mnytime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pryan Posted July 4, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 Ghost, I know about the Decca Basie recordings, but have yet to acquire them, although I was really tempted to pick up the definitive set (damn conscience!). I think I'll do like Chuck and get all the Classics re-issues of Basie's "Lester" band. Harold, the Commodores are on the KANSAS CITY SESSIONS cd, right? I have that and agree, they're a must for me as well (three versions of Prez playing some heavy shit on "rhythm" changes!, can't beat that). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold_Z Posted July 4, 2003 Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 PRYAN...Yes, the Kansas City Sessions are the Commodores. I have those on vinyl and didn't connect with that title. Great music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pryan Posted July 4, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 Thanks ghost (and Lon), those more obscure dates are just the kind I'm hunting for. Although, admittedly I still don't have some of the more renowned stuff, such as the aforementioned Basie Deccas. Too much Prez, not enough time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted July 4, 2003 Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 Believe me once, believe me again: (and what everybody else said too) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted July 4, 2003 Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 Another must-get set (if it's still available) is the Complete Lester Young on Keystone CD. The two Keystone sessions (1943-1944) are among Lester Young's best recorded work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John L Posted July 4, 2003 Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 One of my favorites is the live date from 1950 that has been issued on Savoy under a number of different titles, most notably in the "Jazz Immortals" series. Pres was REALLY on for that date, especially for an extended sublime 10-minute slow blues. If you like the early Pres, try to find the titles he cut with Glenn Hardman and Lee Castle in the 1930s. The musical context is terrible, but somehow Pres manages to float above it all with some tremendous extended solos. He has more space here than usually was the case with Basie. I give strong seconds to the Classics series as opposed to the complete Decca. In fact, as brilliant as some of the Decca solos are, Pres plays a lot more on the Columbia material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John L Posted July 4, 2003 Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 If you ask me, this 1956 Paris concert was even stronger (recently rereleased in HighNote) Another piece of essential Lester that I just recalled: The 1940 jam session with Benny Goodman and Charlie Christian. Speaking of Pres and Charlie Christian, I also give VERY STRONG seconds to the recommendation for the Spiritual to Swing sessions. Also essential! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted July 4, 2003 Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 So in summary - get all the Lester Young that is available. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted July 4, 2003 Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 A note on the Commodore and Keynote K.C. sessions: I think, pryan, what you got is the definitive disc called "Kansas City (something)". This disc has the masters only of the Commodore and the Keynote sessions as well as of another session (which I cannot recall the original label). Now I have that definitive disc, too, but I also have the Commodore Kansas City Prez disc, which has the alternates and includes another K.C. session without Prez, which is nice to have, too. The Keynote CD might be pretty hard to find. I don't have it. ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pryan Posted July 4, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 One of my favorites is the live date from 1950 that has been issued on Savoy under a number of different titles, most notably in the "Jazz Immortals" series. Pres was REALLY on for that date, especially for an extended sublime 10-minute slow blues. If you like the early Pres, try to find the titles he cut with Glenn Hardman and Lee Castle in the 1930s. The musical context is terrible, but somehow Pres manages to float above it all with some tremendous extended solos. He has more space here than usually was the case with Basie. I give strong seconds to the Classics series as opposed to the complete Decca. In fact, as brilliant as some of the Decca solos are, Pres plays a lot more on the Columbia material. Thanks for the info John. I think I have that live session from '50, it's on the Complete Savoy set, right? The one with Roy Haynes on drums, I pretty sure, and there's a trumpet player on the date too. I've never heard of the Glenn Hardman/Lee Castle stuff. I most definitely dig his thirties stuff, and have only a small sampling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pryan Posted July 4, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 Ubu, I do have the one with all the alternates and the session without Prez, hence the mention in my previous post about the 3 different versions of "I Got Rhythm", on one of the sessions. Couw, I have the "last session" and agree with your comments. John L, that Paris concert looks good, and shouldn't be too hard to find. That Jam session w/ Christian, Goodman, et al must be on that Christian box set on Columbia (I've had "big eyes" for that set ever since it came out; now that I know Prez is on it, I may pull the trigger even quicker). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted July 4, 2003 Report Share Posted July 4, 2003 Sorry, pryan! Didn't remember. But I always mix the Commodore and the definitive, so I might have supposed others do this as well... However: if you don't have the Keynote CD (I'm not a fan of theirs, but sometimes it's an easy way to get some nice material) and can't find it, the definitive might be the one to get. The quartet session with Johnny Guarnieri, Slam Stewart and Big Sid is a bitch! ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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