Performance · Other credits

Lester Young

saxophonist

Woodville, United States • 1909-08-27 – 1959-03-15

Lester Young is credited on 3,447 releases across 960 albums tracked on Gatefold, active 1950–2026 — the collector-built map of who actually made the music.

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3,447

Pressings credited

960

Albums

Decades active

214

In collections

Biography

Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez" (short for the "President of the tenor saxophone"), was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most influential players on his instrument. 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 popularized much of the hipster jargon which came to be associated with the music.

Bio from Wikipedia