
Lester Young was one of the great jazz masters, and his impact on the course of the art form was profound. He fundamentally changed the way the saxophone was played--his long, flowing lines brought new levels of expressiveness and subtlety to the jazz language, setting the standard for all modern players. In Being Prez, renowned British critic Dave Gelly follows Lester Young through his life in a rapidly changing world, showing how the music of this exceptionally sensitive man was shaped by his experiences. The reader meets a complicated, vulnerable, gentle individual who was brought up in his father's traveling carnival band. His early career was spent in the nightclubs and dancehalls of Kansas City and the Southwest, and he made his landmark recording debut at the peak of the Swing Era. But at the height of his powers, he was drafted into the US Army, where racism and his own unworldliness landed him in military prison. Following these events, Young grew increasingly withdrawn and suspicious, changes in his character reflected in the darkening mood of his music. Gelly, himself a jazz saxophonist, examines many of Young's classic recordings in illuminating detail. He reveals how as a saxophonist--and as major contributor to the Count Basie band--Young created a strong personal voice, a cool modernism, and a new rhythmic flexibility in the freely dancing rhythms of 4-beat swing. With his sax jutting oddly to one side, his bizarre oblique use of language, and his unique musical rapport with Billie Holiday (who famously nicknamed him "Prez"), Lester Young has become an icon and a cult figure. This marvelous biography illuminates the life and work of this giant of jazz.
This biography investigates how the personal experiences and psychological vulnerabilities of Lester Young shaped his innovative contributions to jazz saxophone performance. Dave Gelly, a British critic and professional saxophonist, utilizes historical context and musical analysis to trace Young's development from his upbringing in a traveling carnival band to his status as a central figure in the Count Basie orchestra. The text argues that Young's unique musical voice—characterized by rhythmic flexibility and cool modernism—was inextricably linked to his sensitive nature and the traumatic impact of his military service.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Critics and jazz historians frequently cite this work as a definitive and accessible account of Young's life, praising Gelly's ability to balance technical musical insight with biographical narrative. Experts highlight the book as a foundational text for understanding the evolution of the jazz saxophone and the cultural pressures faced by musicians of the era.
Page Count:
186
Publication Date:
2007-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190450495
ISBN-13:
9780190450496
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