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Musician

Lester Young

Born:

Lester "Prez" Young was one of the giants of the tenor saxophone. He was the greatest improviser between Coleman Hawkins and Louis Armstrong of the 1920s and Charlie Parker in the 1940s. From the beginning, he set out to be different: He had his own lingo; In the Forties, he grew his hair out. The other tenor players held their saxophones upright in front of them, so Young held his out to the side, kind of like a flute (see picture above). Then, there was the way he played: Hawkins played around harmonic runs. He played flurries of notes and had a HUGE tone that the other tenor players of the day emulated. Young used a softer tone that resulted In a soft, light sound (if you didn't know better, you would think the two were playing different instruments). Young used less notes and slurred notes together, creating more melodic solos. He played the ordinary in an extraordinary way, using a lot of subtleties to produce music that Billie Holiday said flips you out of your seat with surprise.

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Article: Multiple Reviews

Joel Dorn's Nine Lives: Label M and Live at the Left Bank

Read "Joel Dorn's Nine Lives: Label M and Live at the Left Bank" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


This article was first published at All About Jazz on March 6, 2001. It wasn't but a few years ago that veteran record producer Joel Dorn and a business partner founded 32 Records, a label devoted to re-releasing the old Muse and Landmark catalogs and releasing previously unheard live recordings by major jazz artists. ...

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Article: Radio & Podcasts

Bud Powell, Barry Harris, Les McCann & Larry Vuckovich

Read "Bud Powell, Barry Harris, Les McCann & Larry Vuckovich" reviewed by Joe Dimino


We dedicate the 838th Episode of Neon Jazz to a titan on the keys in Larry Vuckovich. In that vein, we cover a host of musicians and vignettes that make up his storied career. From musicians like Duke Ellington, Eddie Vinson, Barry Harris, Lester Young, Horace Parlan, Bud Powell and Jon Hendricks. We wrap it up ...

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Article: Album Review

Ann Hampton Callaway: Finding Beauty. Originals. Volume 1

Read "Finding Beauty. Originals. Volume 1" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci


"This is my most personal record," Callaway says. “Throughout my career, I've loved singing the great jazz classics and selections from the Great American Songbook, but I've always snuck my original songs on various projects. The pandemic made me think, 'I don't know if I'll live through this, but if I do, what's at the top ...

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Article: Album Review

The Flying Horse Big Band: A Message From The Flying Horse Big Band

Read "A Message From The Flying Horse Big Band" reviewed by Jack Bowers


The Message on the Florida-based Flying Horse Big Band's sixth album comes straight from the “messengers" themselves-- drummer Art Blakey's legendary Jazz Messengers, whose music is admirably presented here, and to whom the album is dedicated. Its ten songs were composed by members of the Jazz Messengers--Wayne Shorter, Hank Mobley, Horace Silver, Cedar ...

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Article: Radio & Podcasts

Bah Humbug, Weather Music, Stocking Stuffer Singles

Read "Bah Humbug, Weather Music, Stocking Stuffer Singles" reviewed by David Brown


Personally, I do not celebrate Christmas. But for this week's show, I figured I'd get in the spirit and sprinkle a few offbeat holiday tunes into the mix. We start off with a Latin set with Pete Rugolo and His Orchestra's “Jingle Bells Mambo" followed by Herman's Heat and Puente's Beat; then a set of meteorological ...

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Article: Jazz Fiction

Interruptions On A Christmas Eve

Read "Interruptions On A Christmas Eve" reviewed by Arthur R George


The small restaurant and occasional music bistro was closed for Christmas Eve. Its owner Ernie DiVitale had darkened the room. There was light enough, from the Christmas tree in the corner and spilling in from a lamp over the prep area in the kitchen, to relax with his wife Veronica at a back table over cappuccini ...

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News: Recording

Saxophonist Borys Janczarski Goes It Alone with 'Time Remembered'

Saxophonist Borys Janczarski Goes It Alone with 'Time Remembered'

Polish tenor saxophonist Borys Janczarski, who for some years co-led an excellent quintet with drummer Stephen McCraven, has since gone his own way with a quartet of which he is sole leader. This is their first release, Time Remembered, is available exclusively on Bandcamp. Interestingly, the album was made three and a half years ago, in ...

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Article: Album Review

Imogen Ryall: Imogen Ryall Sings the Charles Mingus / Joni Mitchell Songbook

Read "Imogen Ryall Sings the Charles Mingus / Joni Mitchell Songbook" reviewed by Neil Duggan


In 1976, bassist Charles Mingus was suffering from a degenerative condition which had left him part-paralysed and unable to play or compose in a conventional manner. He still had a mind full of musical ideas so needed a collaborator. He had become aware of Joni Mitchell and thought she might be the right choice. For her ...

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Article: Album Review

Curtis Counce: You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce!

Read "You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce!" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci


When bassist Curtis Counce died of a heart attack at the age of 37 in 1963, the jazz world was deprived of a major talent. Not that one would have known much, for his death, while noted, was not extensively covered. Counce, a Midwesterner, had come to California and to jny:Los Angeles to learn his craft, ...


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