LISTEN · DISCOVER · CONNECT
Lester Young | Essential albums and listening guide
Explore Lester Young through Pres and Teddy. Discover what to listen for and follow related styles to your next record.
Lester Young
Meet the artist
A tenor saxophonist known as “Prez”. His light and melodious phrasing foreshadowed the aesthetics of later cool jazz. He favors a light, flowing sound and long melodic lines over forceful projection.
Phrases seem to float above the beat, giving the tenor a different kind of softness. Even swinging music leaves partners space, while blues and ballads create intimacy from relatively few notes. Comparing him with heavier-toned tenor players shows how one instrument can carry very different experiences of musical time.
Where to start listening
Listen to the saxophone's soft entrances and the timing of its phrase endings. Its relationship with the piano reveals an unforced sense of swing.
1959Pres and Teddy
Lester Young
This album captures Lester Young’s performances in his later years. The warm and intimate performance with pianist Teddy Wilson conveys the mature swing feel of his music.
Open this album in the Atlas →
1952The President Plays With The Oscar Peterson Trio
Lester Young
It’s a performance in which Lester Young collaborated with Oscar Peterson Trio. The singer’s expressive and melodious phrasing is particularly prominent in this performance.
Open this album in the Atlas →
Years follow the Atlas catalogue. Recording dates, original release dates and digital reissue dates may differ.