Talk:Lester Young

Discography Problems
Allright. So there are some fundamentals problems with Young discography (in its current state). It is not clear if we are using the "recording" or the "release" years. Some are release, some recording. This is confusing. Worst, some albums (such as Just You, Just Me), have completely inaccurate year.

I will go into a clean up now. Please let me know if you have any comments/suggestions. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kiem tra (talk • contribs) 15:16, 15 November 2016 (UTC)

Copyright violations
Much of the content of this page appears to be taken verbatim from www.allmusic.com. Lookup Lester Young there. This is copyrighted material.

"tenor man"
is the song "tenor man" originally by Karl Denson's Tiny Universe?


 * I have no idea. I've removed it along with all the copyvio material from the All Music Guide (and the rather dubious statement that Young "turned to bebop").  Charles Mingus's Goodbye Pork Pie Hat is a far more famous tribute to Young.  I'll have a go at the latter half of Young's career this evening when I have access to books and CD notes.  --Andrew Norman 8 July 2005 11:42 (UTC)

Prez/Pres
The article uses the spelling "Prez," which is the common form for president and was used for Young, but "Pres" seems to have more prevalent. More than a dozen albums include "Pres" in the title, and it's the form I most associate with Lester Young. Greenmango 06:45, 6 May 2007 (UTC)


 * So, I'll change that. Greenmango 20:19, 28 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Maybe you did. But nearly five years later, it's Prez again? Shouldn't there be some brief explanation of the nickname? And shouldn't he be added here? Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 12:26, 8 March 2012 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:LesterYoung.jpg
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Harmonies on a Sax?
Excuse me == I guess this subject ought to be clarified by an expert. The article's lead section states:

Young is remembered as one of the finest, most influential players on his instrument, playing with a cool tone and sophisticated harmonies.

Question: if the whole concept of Harmony is based on the conbination of different notes played simultaneously, just how is it possible to implement harmonies playing a reed instrument, such as a sax or a clarinet??? Regards, --AVM (talk) 12:04, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Easy. You're not thinking of harmonies, you're thinking of chords, which are "harmonic". When a singer is singing in a key, and the sax is playing in a harmonic key or even just in 5ths (for instance), they are playing harmony. That's what arrangers do, is design harmonies between instruments that are largely playing single notes. C major chord is C, E, G. If a trumpet plays C, a flute plays E, and a sax plays G, they are playing in harmony. Jjdon (talk) 19:27, 14 February 2009 (UTC)


 * (I don't understand what Jjdon is talking about. It makes no sense. So here is an answer that makes sense.) How are 'harmonies' possible on a sax? Easy - You play your sophisticated chords/harmonies one note at a time. But it's a weird thing to say about Lester. Art Tatum apparently was the source for most of bebop's harmonic advances, and he indeed often does astonishingly modern-sounding stuff, a lot of which no-one has picked up on to this day. 110.20.168.169 (talk) 12:15, 6 September 2016 (UTC)

"Wooden reed"?
In the section talking about Young's use of a plastic reed, it is compared to a wooden one. I'm no expert, but shouldn't that be bamboo?

Lester Young Beer
Lester Young Beer

Can I put this link in there or put up a picture of the beer? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jingleheimer Smith (talk • contribs) 01:06, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

If there are no objections I shall link to this in the article. Jingleheimer Smith (talk) 19:29, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

sounds great to meBigSmooth99 (talk) 08:42, 18 October 2009 (UTC)

Lester Young picture reversed
The main picture of Lester Young in this article appears to be reversed (note the positions of his hands, as well as which way his head is tilted).Hovixii (talk) 12:07, 5 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Yes, it is reversed. Its (correct) mirror image is shown on several sites. My attempts to point this out have been described as unconstructive but what else can one say? It's the wrong way round.
 * Yes, but do you have any actual evidence? - maybe the other sites have got it the wrong way round? Have a look at the original source for this image - surely the Library of Congress ought to know who it's meant to look? Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 10:30, 20 May 2012 (UTC)
 * However, looking at all the other publicly-available images that there are (including album covers), he does seem to have typically played with his left hand at the top of the instrument, not his right. Don't you have to play the saxophone this way? Or do they come in left and right handed versions? The Saxophone article does not make this clear. But I don't think players typically swap. So if the picture has been flipped, it's a bit misleading, especially for a lead image. Perhaps some sax players could comment? Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 10:45, 20 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Here's another of Young by Gottlieb:, clearly showing his right hand (with a ring on his ring finger?) on the lower sax keys. Martinevans123 (talk) 13:08, 20 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Haven't really got much further with this,have we? Martinevans123 (talk) 21:36, 19 October 2012 (UTC)

Style
Isn't it a bit simplistic (and harsh) to say Coleman Hawkins had an "aggressive" style? Mostly he's characterized by his robust and mellow tone as opposed to Young's lighter style, or so I thought. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Chasbo2 (talk • contribs) 12:40, 9 August 2011 (UTC)
 * I wholly agree with you. I have now adjusted to "more forceful" - but that is still a description unsupported by any source. The Coleman Hawkins article itself does not even mention his style, and certianly does not discuss it with reliable sources. I think we'd all agree that Lester's style was more "laid back" than Hawk's, but the whole topic needs a lot more work. It's hard to believe that this has been so neglected for so long. Martinevans123 (talk)

Cool
He did more than popularize the word 'cool'. He popularized the thing! 'Hot' was the in thing before that. Loud, fast, lot of notes, high-energy, raucous, screaming, jumping on the bar, swaggering, etc. He was the opposite of all that. 110.20.168.169 (talk) 12:21, 6 September 2016 (UTC)
 * hear, hear! Sullidav (talk) 16:46, 30 December 2023 (UTC)

Add Sonny Stitt Tribute(s)?
The section on "Posthumous dedications" doesn't mention Sonny Stitt. I thought he wrote one or two pieces called "Blues for Pres [or "Prez"]," and/or "Blues for Lester." Most Google hits I get are for his (with Oscar Peterson) "Blues for Pres, Sweets, Ben and All the Other Funky Ones." I am 100% sure these are tributes to LY that should be mentioned in this section, but did not quickly see a source saying that, or much about "Blues for Pres." Maybe that's just a shorter version of the longer name. Someone may need to go back to 1950s/60s articles/record reviews on Stitt to find confirmation in a secondary source? But with some more research, they should be added here.Sullidav (talk) 16:46, 30 December 2023 (UTC)
 * ps - there's another apparent tribute by Stitt, "Blues for Prez and Bird" on his 1972 album Tune-Up!. Sullidav (talk) 17:09, 30 December 2023 (UTC)
 * pps - "Blues for Lester" is on Stitt's 1959 album The Hard Swing. Sullidav (talk) 17:18, 30 December 2023 (UTC)