One of the most identifiable and influential musicians in jazz history was saxophonist (and occasional clarinetist) Lester Young. He was born in Mississippi on this date in the year 1909.

Although young Lester was born in Mississippi, he grew up in the Algiers section of New Orleans. As a youngster he was able to play a number of musical instruments in his family’s band, led by his father who was a teacher and band director. The Young Family Band toured the southwestern United States before moving to Minnesota in 1919. When Lester Young was 18, he left the band because he was not willing to tour the American south where Jim Crow laws discriminated so harshly against Blacks.

By the time Lester was 23 he was a member of the same Blue Devils band as Count Basie, Walter Page and Buster Smith. A year later he was living in Kansas City and playing with a number of groups, eventually landing with the group led by Basie and becoming one of its most prominent soloists. He stayed with the Count until 1940, leaving to perform with Fletcher Henderson and then with Andy Kirk. However, he continued to make occasional appearances with the Count Basie Orchestra for years to come.

In addition to his work with large ensembles, “Prez,” as Young was nicknamed by Billie Holiday (short for “The President”), made many small group recordings over the years. After being drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II and being dishonorably discharged after an incident where marijuana was found in his barracks, Young worked and recorded with musicians like Nat “King” Cole, Buddy Rich, Roy Eldridge and Vic Dickenson as well as being a regular participant on the Jazz at the Philharmonic tours.

By the mid-1950s Lester Young’s health was deteriorating and he suffered a “nervous breakdown” which was in large part precipitated by his heavy use of alcohol. He was hospitalized for a while and after his release began playing again, touring Europe with Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Quartet. In December of 1957 he was a participant in the CBS Television broadcast “The Sound of Jazz” where he performed Fine and Mellow with his old friend Billie Holiday who was also in failing health. Within two years both of them would be gone.

Lester Young’s musicianship and artistry has served as an inspiration for many who have followed him, including Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Paul Desmond and Lee Konitz. Young’s cool, smooth and softer style stood in direct contrast to the other tenor players of his era like Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster. Young was also renowned for his use of language and some credit him with originating the use of the word “cool” to connotate something fashionable.

Lester Young passed away on March 15, 1959 in New York City at the age of 49.

Here is a link to the performance featuring Young and Holiday from the television program “The Sound of Jazz:”

"FINE AND MELLOW"