They Say You Can Tell How He Was Feeling From How He Sounded
Original Mixed Up-Kid | New York United States | 01/03/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"recorded in 1944, 1949 and in 1950 this 2 CD set of the Savoy sessions boasts 20 bit sound and is a treat from a giant whose "sweet" swinging style, is often considered ethereal.
There are many Lester Young compilations out there and focusing on these Savoy sides with all the takes features him as a leader of his own group/small band,key soloist as well as dates with his "boss" Count Basie and other great magicians of the day.
Disc ones sides include Johnny Guarnieri All Star Orchestra 1944, and the Earl Warren Orchestra 1944,and Lester Young's Quintet 1944.
Disc two includes Lester Young's Sextet 1949 and Quintet sides live in Chicago 1950.
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A Great Collection
Jazzman | Chicago, IL | 12/13/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Not only do you get some exceptional studio material from Lester Young, but you also get a great set of live tracks recorded in Chicago ("Big Eye Blues" is an awesome slow blues). Don't let the large amount of alternate takes fool you. There were many great players, but Pres was one of those select few who could come up with something completely new from one take to the next, and Lester's ability to say so much with so few notes is unsurpassed. Lester can say more with a chorus or two than most sax players could with fifteen. It's not hard to understand why Charlie Parker studied Lester's recordings."
Terrific, but...
T. Johnson | 10/02/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Lester Young is my favorite sax, so my review is highly biased - it's fantastic. The only problem is that the tracks on Disc 1 have a hitch in the order - "Empty Hearted" actually appears in Track #20, not #13, shifting all listed tracks, 14 - 20, by one, to 13 - 19."