Interesting Things About Lester Young

1. He Turned Away His Time’s Aggressive Sax Style—Young established a light, silky, flowing technique that later affected cool jazz performers, unlike his counterpart Coleman Hawkins, who performed with a strong, powerful tone.


2. He Once Left Home to Avoid Learning the Violin Lester hated the violin and trumpet, although Young’s father, a strict musician, insisted he perform them. Teenager running away from home to escape playing them, he embraced the saxophone instead.

3. He Was Slang Master—Young used a distinctive voice and invented several hip phrases. He made “cool” the phrase used to describe something fashionable, even referring to women as “Lady” (e.g., Billie Holiday was “Lady Day”).

**He Was One of the First Saxophonists to Hold His Instrument Sideways—Some players today still copy Young’s unique approach of holding the tenor sax at an angle instead of straight down, which helped to reflect his laid-back demeanor.

5. He Was Court-Martialed in the U.S. Army—Drafted in 1944, Young battled bigotry and the rigorous military life. Eventually he served time in a prison barracks after being court-martialed for marijuana possession. He was profoundly touched by the encounter.

Six. He ate an unusual diet—Young had odd eating habits; she usually preferred French fries with ketchup as dinner. Additionally well-known for drinking excessively was he, which helped explain his later-in-life worsening health.

7. His Inspired Charlie Parker’s Saxophone Take Up—Lester Young was regarded by the great bebop saxophonist Charlie Parker as having had a big impact on his approach to the instrument.

8. He was obsessed with watching TV with the sound off—Young would often watch television with the volume turned down later in life while listening to music, preferring to make his own creative links between sight and sound.

9. His Final Performance Made on a borrowed saxophone, Young was in such poor health at his last public concert in Paris in 1959 that he omitted bringing his own sax. One pal lent him some so he can play.

10. He Died Just Months Before Billie Holiday—Young and Billie Holiday bonded deeply, almost telepathically musically. He referred to her as “Lady Day,” and she dubbed him “Prez.” Apparently heartbroken, he passed in March 1959, just four months before Holiday.

Jazz saxophonists still get inspiration from Young’s legacy; his cool, lyrical approach is ageless.