Search - Lester Young :: Timeless Lester Young

Great introduction to a sax legend in his peak years...

William E. Adams | Midland, Texas USA | 04/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my third purchase in the Savoy "Timeless" series, and it turns out to be another great value. I have their Cannonball Adderley and Charlie Parker collections, and both are great. The Adderley tracks are from the 1950's, balanced between sweet and swinging. The Parker tunes are fast and furious. Now this Lester Young release is predominately mellow, with only a few uptempo songs...but all are pleasant. Eleven of the 15 tracks are from 1944, and four songs from 1949. Considering the passage of 60 years, the sound quality is superb. Young split his career, which ended with his death in 1959 at age 49, between Kansas City and New York, and between on-and-off stints with Count Basie's orchestra and less-known ensembles. Basie is featured on this compilation on piano, and Lester is accompanied by some talented sidemen throughout. This CD offers us strong jazzmen who learned their tricks in the '30's, became crowd-pleasers in the '40's, yet made sounds which do not seem dated to me, here in the dawn of the subsequent century. It's just fun, folks. If you like jazz, or saxophones, or World-War II era dance sounds, you can't miss with this release."