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Lester’s Life
Born in Woodville, Mississippi in 1909, Lester Young, nicknamed “Pres”, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist.
Lester had a father who taught music and was a band leader, a brother, Leonidas Raymond better known as Lee Young who played the drums, and also had a sister named Irma Cornelia. By the time Lester was ten, he learned the basics of the trumpet, violin, and the drums, and joined the Young Family Band, playing at carnivals and playing in regional cities in the Southwest.
With a difficult relationship with his father, he often left his home for long periods at a time. The family in 1919 moved to Minneapolis, and Lester stayed there for much of the 1920s. He first picks up the tenor saxophone during this time.
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Lester left the family band at eighteen years old because he refused to tour the Southern US, where Jim Crow laws were in effect, and racial segregation was required in public facilities.
He became a member of the Bostonians, led by Art Bronson, and chose the tenor saxophone as his primary instrument. He left his home permanently in 1932 when he became a member of the Blue Devils led by Walter Page.
After playing briefly in several bands, Lester rose to prominence in 1933 with Count Basie. With his relaxed style, contrasted by Coleman Hawkins’ forceful approach, he was the dominant tenor sax player of his day.
Cool.
There’s certainly much more to Lester’s story, but one big special note to add about Lester Young is that it is said that he invented the term “cool”.
Working in nightclubs during the 1940s, which were filled with smoke and dancing people, the only way to clear and freshen up the air in the room was to open up the windows and let the “cool” night air in.
Lester is credited with making this connection with the word cool, and popularizing the term cool to mean… well, “cool”.
Interestingly enough, he also is credited with inventing the term “bread” to mean money. It is said that when asking how much a gig would be paying, he asked “How does the bread smell?”. Now that’s cool!
For more on Lester Young’s life, including his time in the military, his family life, his final years before his death in 1959, and much more, check out today’s Wikipedia article page!
Click here for today’s Wikipedia article of discussion!
Talk time!
Have you listened to Lester Young’s saxophone playing? You can give it a listen here. Also, did you know where the term “cool” originated? Let’s get a chat going in the comments below, or leave me a reply to this email if you’re subscribed that way and let me know your thoughts!