Lester Young - I Got Rhythm (from vinyl LP Jazz at the Philharmonic Lester Young Carnegie Blues)

Jazz at the Philharmonic Lester Young Carnegie Blues Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959) Arguably, Young introduced an approach to improvisation that provided much of the basis for modern jazz solo conception. The impact of his style was so broad that he has been cited as a favourite by such diverse modern jazz figures as Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, and John Coltrane. Much of the West Coast “cool” style was a direct product of Lester Young’s approach, many saxophonists playing his lines note for note in their own performances. Billie Holiday called him president of tenor saxophonists, and he was known thereafter as Pres (or Prez). In contrast to many of his hard-driving peers, Young played with a relaxed, cool tone and used sophisticated harmonies, using what one critic called “a free-floating style, wheeling and diving like a gull, banking with low, funky riffs that pleased dancers and listeners alike“. Known for his hip, introverted style, he invented or