Lester Young was modern without trying to be modern. His music is timeless

I had to pause and listent to this. JATP -- talk of giants -- then, the gods of Jazz still walked the earth. I met Lester Young's sister once in west Oakland Ca. She was then-living in a small studio public housing apartment. And, so, on one early afternoon I sat with her and the master tap dancer Eddie Brown [who was in Bill Robinson's (Bojangles's) dance troupe]. Just the three of us talked while Eddie cooked a meal for himself that afternoon, just after tap class -- I was one of Eddie's tap-dance students while I attended Laney College in Oakland. Being a trap drummer, I could immediately pick up on what he'd be doing; that I intuitively knew his steps and rhythms. I was scarcely the best student, because I did not practice enough, but could hear what he was saying with his feet, and he saw, felt, and heard this. He called Lester Young's sister, Sis. They both were performers. What an event to sit and chat with whom prove nothing if not royalty! She had pictures of her brother atop her bureau. And they shared with me the times when they performed out there on stage -- Eddie saying, after I asked him, did he ever have stage fright, and he and Sis affirmed yes, that you'd undergo stage fright, but you get pass this. Of Buddy Rich, I saw him three times live; twice in Washington, D.C -- at Constitution Hall and The Cellar Door nightclub in Georgetown, now again in England when I was stationed there while serving active in the U.S. Air Force. Of Bird -- his always blew me away, so melodious yet technical on what proves an otherwise saucy, acerbic, sharp-witted instrument, the Eb Alto Saxophone, which I also played. Note that Rich drops bombs all through the piece. Well, so distinctive were the personalities on each instrument that one can distinguish who is who. Flip Phillips' playing differed markedly from that of Lester Young, whose playing was well ahead of his time, whose phrasing could be handily placed 20 and 30 years into the future, say to somewhere into the 1960's. One can see why they called him the 'Pres'...

Rhythm section is on fire! Buddy's rhythm idea, and precise execution, on kick drum is killing!

I love how muc lester got out of false fingerings. He loved to play to the bottom of the tenor in the 2nd register!

Wow, what a line-up.Prez, Bird, badboy Buddy Rich etc etc

Fantastic

Charlie Parker really knows his instrument, I bought an alto sax trying to blow like Charlie Parker did, I don’t know a thing about scales or anything.

It's funny when Charlie starts playing, I immediately thought of Sonny Stitt. That's because SS idolized Charlie and studied his style to perfection.

Thank you for sharing 🎉 hope you are well God loves you deeply shalom 🤗🐼♥️✝️💐 Philippians 4:8

As I don't know what Tommy Turk looked like, I'm not sure if that is him or Bill Harris in the first photo. I'm quite sure it is him playing. It is unfortunate he wasn't wider known. He was certainly a great trombonist,equally as good as anyone else of his era. Unfortunate about his tragic death.

7:09

Yeah, and John Mayer and Card I B. are musicians, right? My ass.

Wonderful setting except for the bone player. Sounds like doing exercises. Mr. Granz might have choosen Earl Swope, J.J. Johnson or Kai Winding instead.