Description
Lester Young takes center stage at New York City's legendary Birdland on Lester Leaps In: Live At Birdland 1951-1952, a collection of eight previously unreleased performances captured during broadcasts of the celebrated "Jumpin' with Symphony Sid" radio program. Recorded across four dates in 1951 and 1952, these performances document the enormously influential tenor saxophonist during a period when, as jazz historian Scott Yanow observes in the album's liner notes, the 41-year-old Young was still very much in his prime. His relaxed phrasing, light tone and rhythmic sophistication had already provided an important alternative to the more forceful tenor styles of the swing era and profoundly influenced generations of players who followed.
The opening three selections come from January 20, 1951, with Young joined by pianist John Lewis--shortly before Lewis co-founded the Modern Jazz Quartet--bassist Gene Ramey and drummer "Papa" Jo Jones. The quartet moves from Young's signature "Lester Leaps In" through the ballad "I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You" and the driving "Up And Atom." Returning to Birdland on February 24 with pianist Cyril Haynes, Ramey and Jones, Young stretches out on "These Foolish Things" before turning to the up-tempo blues "Neenah." The latter broadcast has an especially evocative connection to Young's history: host Sid Torin acknowledges Billie Holiday in the audience, the singer whose close friendship with Young produced their famous nicknames for one another--Young called her "Lady Day," while Holiday dubbed him "Pres," short for President of the Tenor Saxophone.
Side two expands the ensemble with trumpeter Jesse Drakes, who joins Young for spirited May 19, 1951 performances of "(Back Home Again In) Indiana" and "How High the Moon." The collection then moves to May 2, 1952, when Young, Drakes and Ramey are joined by pianist Earl Knight and drummer Lee Abrams for the closing "'Deed I Do." Together, the four broadcasts offer a compact portrait of Young in the club environment, moving naturally between high-energy swing, blues and ballad playing while interacting with several different rhythm sections and front-line partners.
Liberation Hall presents these historic radio performances on 180-gram vinyl, accompanied by extensive liner notes from jazz historian Scott Yanow and rare photographs, including a cover image supplied by Young's son, Lester Young Jr., from the family's private collection. More than seven decades after the broadcasts, Lester Leaps In: Live At Birdland 1951-1952 provides another window into the work of a musician whose approach to the tenor saxophone helped shape players including Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, Paul Desmond and John Coltrane.