The Lester Young Story [Box set]

Amazon.com
The Lester Young Story is a masterly, four-disc box set of classic recordings that follows Lester Young's career from his very first session, a small band date with Count Basie in 1936, to a star-studded live concert with, among others, Charlie Parker, Roy Eldridge, and Buddy Rich in 1949. This isn't the whole story, of course, because Young lived and worked for another 10 years, but it covers the period when he was at the height of his Powers, and it is packed with glorious music.

To pick out just a few gems: the amazing "Lady Be Good," the record that first announced Young's arrival to an astonished jazz world, and five numbers in which he partners the young Billie Holiday with exquisite delicacy and taste. Elsewhere, there are most of his show-stopping solos with Basie's band, in numbers like "Tickle Toe" and "Taxi War Dance," and a generous selection from his informal small-band sessions with players such as Buck Clayton, Dickie Wells, and Charlie Christian, including a rare extract from the soundtrack of the 1944 movie Jammin' the Blues.

The last disc consists of tracks from Young's early post-war career, when, unlike many of his contemporaries, he was enjoying the stimulus provided by the younger generation of bebop musicians. Because the tracks are arranged in chronological order, it is fascinating to follow him through his life during these 13 years and hear him responding to the rapidly changing world around him. The 15 months he spent in the U.S. Army affected him badly, but they certainly did not destroy his talent, as some commentators have claimed. The final, joyful rendition of "Lester Leaps In" with Charlie Parker and the Jazz at the Philharmonic team proves that beyond a doubt. --Dave Gelly

Product Description
84 tracks, 52 page illustrated booklet. 4 CD set presents the life & times of the influential jazz musician. 4 hours of tenor magic from his earliest recording through the Basie Band with Billie Holiday, in his own group & right up to the 'Jazz At The Philharmonic' period. Includes material with Buck Clayton, Benny Goodman, Nat King Cole, Buddy Rich & more.Each disc comes in it's own standard jewel case & come housed together in a deluxe slipcase.

The Lester Young Story,Lester Young,Proper Box UK,Box Sets (Audio Only),Jazz,Jazz Music,Mainstream Jazz,Pop,Swing

Average customer rating: Jazz gold age Grab it!!! Can't go past this one Stellar. BUY IT NOW!! Forever Young

The Lester Young Story Lester Young Manufacturer: Proper UK Boxed Sets ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Box Sets | Stores | Music General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music Bargain Box Sets | Jazz General | Jazz | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Jazz General | Jazz | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Similar Items: The Bebop Years Boss Bird Pres and Teddy Masterpieces: 1926-1949 The Count Basie Story ASIN: B00004S2AW Release Date: 2001-05-28

Tracks:

1. Shoe Shine Boy
2. Oh Lady Be Good
3. This Year's Kisses
4. Easy Living
5. Me Myself And I
6. A Sailboat In The Moon Light
7. One O'Clock Jump
8. When You're Smiling
9. Every Tub
10. Swinging The Blues
11. Doggin' Around
12. Jumpin' At The Woodside
13. I Can't Get Started
14. Way Down Yonder In New Orleans
15. Countless Blues
16. I Want A Little Girl
17. Shorty George
18. Pannassie Stomp
19. You Can Depend On Me
20. Cherokee Part 1 & 2
21. Jive At Five
22. Taxi War Dance
23. Pound Cake
24. Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie
25. Dickie's Dream
26. Lester Leaps In
27. Tickle Toe
28. Ad'Lib Blues
29. I Never Knew
30. Lester's Dream
31. Broadway
32. Tickle Toe
33. Taxi War Dance
34. Blitzkrieg Baby (You Can't Bomb Me)
35. Beautiful Eyes
36. Things About Coming My Way
37. Just Jivin' Around
38. Al Of Me
39. I Can't Get Started
40. Tea For Two
41. Body And Soul
42. Hello Babe
43. Just You Just Me
44. Afternoon Of A Basie-Ite
45. Sometimes I'm Happy
46. After Theatre Jump
47. Six Cats And A Prince
48. Lester Leaps Again
49. Destination KC
50. I Got Rhythm
51. Poor Little Plaything
52. Exercise In Swing
53. Salute To Fats
54. Blue Lester (Lester's Blues)
55. Ghost Of A Chance
56. Jump Lester Jump
57. Midnight Symphony
58. DB Blues
59. Lester Blows Again
60. These Foolish Things
61. Jumpin' At Mesner's
62. Back To The Land
63. I Cover The Waterfront
64. I've Found A New Baby
65. I Want To Be Happy
66. It's Only A Paper Moon
67. Lover Come Back To Me
68. You're Driving Me Crazy
69. Lester's Be-Bop Boogie
70. She's Funny That Way
71. Sunday
72. SM Blues
73. Jumpin' With Symphony Sid
74. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
75. Sax-O-Be-Bop
76. Just Cooling
77. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)
78. East Of Sun
79. The Sheik Of Araby
80. Something To Remember You By
81. Ding Dong
82. Blues'N'Bells
83. Lester Leaps In
84. Embraceable You

Amazon.com

The Lester Young Story is a masterly, four-disc box set of classic recordings that follows Lester Young's career from his very first session, a small band date with Count Basie in 1936, to a star-studded live concert with, among others, Charlie Parker, Roy Eldridge, and Buddy Rich in 1949. This isn't the whole story, of course, because Young lived and worked for another 10 years, but it covers the period when he was at the height of his Powers, and it is packed with glorious music.

To pick out just a few gems: the amazing "Lady Be Good," the record that first announced Young's arrival to an astonished jazz world, and five numbers in which he partners the young Billie Holiday with exquisite delicacy and taste. Elsewhere, there are most of his show-stopping solos with Basie's band, in numbers like "Tickle Toe" and "Taxi War Dance," and a generous selection from his informal small-band sessions with players such as Buck Clayton, Dickie Wells, and Charlie Christian, including a rare extract from the soundtrack of the 1944 movie Jammin' the Blues.

The last disc consists of tracks from Young's early post-war career, when, unlike many of his contemporaries, he was enjoying the stimulus provided by the younger generation of bebop musicians. Because the tracks are arranged in chronological order, it is fascinating to follow him through his life during these 13 years and hear him responding to the rapidly changing world around him. The 15 months he spent in the U.S. Army affected him badly, but they certainly did not destroy his talent, as some commentators have claimed. The final, joyful rendition of "Lester Leaps In" with Charlie Parker and the Jazz at the Philharmonic team proves that beyond a doubt. --Dave Gelly

Album Description

84 tracks, 52 page illustrated booklet. 4 CD set presents the life & times of the influential jazz musician. 4 hours of tenor magic from his earliest recording through the Basie Band with Billie Holiday, in his own group & right up to the 'Jazz At The Philharmonic' period. Includes material with Buck Clayton, Benny Goodman, Nat King Cole, Buddy Rich & more.Each disc comes in it's own standard jewel case & come housed together in a deluxe slipcase.

Customer Reviews:

Jazz gold age.......2007-01-22

A quite complete collection from which you can have a glimpse of the golden years of jazz and listen to the most representative works from a sax master

Grab it!!!.......2006-07-10

This is an excellent collection, impossible not to like if this genre of jazz is what you are into. Lester Young is a very good sax player, he ranks right up there with the all-time greats. Enjoy!!!

Can't go past this one.......2006-01-20

If you are making your first purchase of a Lester Young CD you really can't go past this one, especially if you want an overview of his playing in his prime years. This probably has his best recordings from the beginning in '36 to '49 with maybe a few ommissions here and there, but I'd be surprised if there is a better 'Prez' compilation out there for the first time listener. Good value for money too with 4 CD's.

Stellar. BUY IT NOW!!.......2005-12-31

This four CD set is a comprehensive survey of Lester Young's career. The collection addresses the major phases of the tenor saxophonist's professional life and includes key performances. The first CD, "Lester Leaps In" (1936-1939) showcases Young in classic performances featuring vocalist Billie Holiday and pianists Teddy Wilson and Count Basie withWalter Page on bass, Freddie Green on guitar, and Jo Jones on drums. "Afternoon of a Basie-ite," (1939-1944) the second CD in the set, presents Young in Basie's Kansas City Seven as well as in Dickie Wells' band and as part of Billie Holiday's orchestra. Again, the performances are jazz classics. And they offer not only the Lester Young performances along with classic recordings of the Count Basie orchestra in its prime and Billie Holiday in hers. Disc 3, "Lester Leaps Again" (1943-1946) records Young with the Basie orchestra (again with the core rhythm section of Greene, Page, and Jones) as well as with his own group. It includes recordings with pianists Johnny Guarnieri and Nat Cole and drummers Sidney Catlett and Buddy Rich. The Young-Cole-Rich trio recordings are worth the price of the set. Disc 4, "Ding Dong" (1946-1949) doesn't reach the end of Young's career, but it does include performances that demonstrate that despite some reports he never lost the power and lyricism of the early years. The Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) recording (1949) with Roy Eldridge, Charlie Parker, and Flip Phillips show that even in his supposed decline he was always a force to be reckoned with. (His contemporaries said that despite his seeming lightness if he were given enough choruses Young would bury any competition.) This CD set is a tremendous bargain, particularly because it encapsulates so much great jazz. In this set Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Teddy Wilson and Count Basie and other greats of the swing era are available in cleanly remastered recordings of classic performance. The accompanying booklet contains carefully prepared discography and commentary.

Forever Young.......2005-12-30

Fantastic value, could serve as the backbone of a fledgling jazz collection. Proper produces excellent anthologies, at amazing prices. The sound quality, tune selection, packaging, and booklet combine to make this an exceptional buy.

The whole idea of purchasing a box set is getting the chance to immerse yourself in an artist's music. To be disappointed that all tracks are not of equal caliber - or equally to your taste - is to completely miss the point, what you have is the full context. (Disc 1 alone is worth the price of the set.) That Young played with so many other greats of his day adds enormously to the fun, and the insight.

For tone, phrasing, lyricism, and sheer polish it is impossible to top Young. Roaming around in this sprawling 4-CD retrospective will help you appreciate that what we think of as jazz today would be impossible without his contribution. All the great players that followed owe him at least some of their lunch money. After that realization has occurred, you'll keep returning to this collection simply because his playing is absolutely exquisite. Young, even at his worst, is still better than just about anyone else.

Average customer rating: Prez at his Best

The Lester Young Story Lester Young Manufacturer: Epm Musique ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Cool Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B000001N2P Release Date: 1996-02-22

Tracks:

1. Shoe Shine Boy
2. Oh! Lady Be Good
3. Honeysuckle Rose
4. Roseland Shuffle
5. Exactly Like You
6. Time Out
7. I've Found A New Baby
8. A Sailboat In The Moonlight
9. Me Myself And I
10. Way Down Yonder In New Orleans
11. Countless Blues
12. Swinging The Blues
13. Every Tub
14. Jumpin' At The Woods
15. If Dreams Come True
16. Taxi War Dance
17. Twelfth Street Rag
18. Dickie's Dream
19. Lester Leaps In
20. I Never Knew
21. Tickle Toe
22. The World Is Mad

Customer Reviews:

Prez at his Best.......2002-02-23

Lester Young was such a protean figure in jazz history, and left behind so many great recordings, that it's extremely difficult to do justice to his body of work in just one CD. This French import, however, does a pretty good job.

Just listen to the first two tracks: Shoe Shine Boy, Young's stunning 1936 debut recording, and his equally spectacular version of Gershwin's Oh! Lady Be Good. If you're not hooked on Prez (as Billie Holiday called him) by that point, go out and buy yourself a new pair of ears, because the ones you have are defective.

This CD focuses exclusively on Young's work from the early phase of his career (before his disastrous service in the Army during WWII), and skimps somewhat on the great recordings he made with Billie Holiday during that period. But you'll get the essence of Lester Young the great swing tenor saxophonist, who influenced almost everyone who came after him.

Pay special attention to the second chorus of Me, Myself and I, where Prez plays underneath Billie Holiday's vocal. If you concentrate on Prez, you'll swear that these two people could read each others minds. It's a magical recording, as are many of the records they made together during this period (I wish Columbia/Sony would hurry up and put out their late 70s releases of The Lester Young Story on CD, since so much of this great work is contained on those LPs).

So many of these tracks are gems that it's hard to know where to start. His solo on Time Out is a laid-back romp, and on records like Every Tub and Jumpin' at the Woodside he can get the entire Count Basie band in a glorious uproar (he does the same thing on Swinging at the Daisy Chain, a track not included here).

After WWII, Prez's style changed audibly, and many people think the later Lester is a letdown from the old Prez (although you can hear early glimmers of his later style in the solo in the recording of I Can't Get Started that he made with Billie Holiday in the mid-30s, not included here), but I think this is overstated. There's a lot to discover in the Lester Young of the late 40s and the 50s (he died in 1959). Never mind, though -- even if you decide never to explore Young's later years, the tracks on this CD will give you enough of a sample of Prez at his best to make you want more. A lot more.

Average customer rating:

Lester Young Story Lester Young Manufacturer: Empire Music Group ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music ASIN: B0000DES71 Release Date: 2001-09-25

Average customer rating:

The Lester Young Story Lester Young Manufacturer: Jazz Archives ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Cool Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music ASIN: B00008F8Q5 Release Date: 1995-08-01

Tracks:

1. Shoe Shine Boy - Jones-Smith, Inc., Lester Young
2. Oh, Lady Be Good - Jones-Smith, Inc., Lester Young
3. Honeysuckle Rose
4. Roseland Shuffle
5. Exactly Like You
6. Time Out
7. I've Found a New Baby - Teddy Wilson, Lester Young
8. Sailboat in the Moonlight - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra, Lester Young
9. Me, Myself and I - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra, Lester Young
10. Way Down Yonder in New Orleans - Kansas City Six, Lester Young
11. Countless Blues - Kansas City Six, Lester Young
12. Swinging the Blues
13. Every Tub
14. Jumpin' at the Woodside
15. If Dreams Come True - Teddy Wilson, Lester Young
16. Taxi War Dance
17. Twelfth Street Rag
18. Dickie's Dream - Lester Young
19. Lester Leaps In - Lester Young
20. I Never Knew
21. Tickle Toe
22. World Is Mad, Pts. 1-2

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