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Disc 1:
Disc 2:
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The 40 tracks on these two discs include everything Lester Young recorded for the Aladdin Company in the 1940s. The opening trio titles with Young backed by Nat King Cole and bass player Red Callender date from 1942, the remainder from late 1945 to early 1948. Despite critical opinion that the US Army had robbed Young of his true musical talent during his military service, his playing is of a very high level here, especially so on the quintet dates with pianists Joe Albany and Dodo Marmarosa. In fact his version of "These Foolish Things" from the Marmarosa session is as great an improvisation as he ever created in his playing career. There are plenty of indications that Young was intrigued by the new wave then sweeping through jazz. Beboppers such as Marmarosa, Albany, Argonne Thornton and Gene DiNovi play piano on various sessions while trumpeter Howard McGhee and drummers Roy Haynes and Tiny Kahn are also present on some dates. For the sake of completeness the session under vocalist Helen Humes' name has been included on the strength of Young's presence in the backing group. The rare "Riffin' Without Helen" instrumental has also been included. --Steve Voce
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Aladdin`s cave of Prez treasures,
By
This review is from: The Complete Aladdin Recordings (Audio CD)
Lester "Prez" Young (1909-59) had a tenor sax sound that`s slips down painlessly, like something made of silk. With a less vibrato-laden tone than Johnny Hodges, far more languid than Hawkiins or Webster, these forty sides he made for Aladdin from 1942-45 are a cornucopeia of easeful, unhurried, balmy saxophone from a man with music flowing like honey from his mild-mannered soul.
The first four tracks of this 2-CD collection - lovingly packaged, with lengthy sleevenotes from 1975 by Leonard Feather - have an enthusiastic Nat Cole on the piano stool, and very fine they are. Body And Soul is a highlight - but there isn`t one track here that doesn`t please the ear in one way or another, usually when Prez is having his deceptively soft-spoken say. Things start smoking with the following four, backed by the trombone of Vic Dickenson (1906-84) and the excellent pianist Dodo Marmarosa (1925-2002), These Foolish Things being a slow, forlorn delight. Lover Come Back To Me is another standout, with Prez at his most swinging, with Willie Smith, Howard McGhee & Johnny Otis helping out. There`s nothing here that won`t give pleasure & delight. Lester Young may have sung his song quieter and in calmer tones than most, but no less eloquently. Listening to these precious tracks, you feel present as an era of classic jazz is both coming to fruition and giving way to a more improvisatory, freer mode - for both good and ill. The remastered quality (by the ubiquitous Michael Cuscuna) is miraculous on most tracks, those with a slight fuzziness losing nothing from their older, grainier sound. The whole thing finishes with half a dozen numbers from a Helen Humes session, the singer proving that she was one of the finest of her day, with a sense of phrasing second to none at all. But Lester`s the star here, and it does the heart good to hear the man. This is gorgeous, treasurable, unrepeatable jazz. Untouchable.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews) 25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
These Foolish Things,
By Lefty O'doul "leoramur" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Complete Aladdin Recordings (Audio CD)
This collection covers a wide time-span in Lester's recording life and one can see a vast difference from first to last. The "early" (1942) cuts, with Nat King Cole are nimble and swinging on Lester's part - a tribute to his innate time when you consider they were recorded minus drums. "Indiana" and "Tea For Two" are particularly brilliant: very much like his Basie+Billie period recordings a few years before but with a touch of the ethereal. It is a treat to hear Lester stretch for more than a chorus or two. The radical change in Lester came (NOT with the advent of WW11 as some reviewers suggest) AFTER Lester's return from his disastrous army stint in 1945. His timing never quite recovers and he tends to rely on his own cliches. That being said, there are moments of absolute genius and beauty in his 1945-1958 period. Thankfully this record captures his gorgeous 1945 rendition of "These Foolish Things" - certainly one of the great ballad performances in the history of jazz! Every phrase is a song itself. This alone is worth the price of the recording. "D.B. Blues" is also a gem of Lester's swing and beautiful sound.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lester at his very best, a must.,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Complete Aladdin Recordings (Audio CD)
After receiving my C.D. Lester Young I could not stop playing it. Lester was past his best when he made these recordings ( or so the experts will tell us) they must have missed these records.The soft tone ,those beautiful bent notes this is a two C.D. set not to be missed. Lester at his very best. Put this on your must buy list.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dark Lester,
By Hank Schwab - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Complete Aladdin Recordings (Audio CD)
For a number of reasons, Lester Young's sound changed after he left the Basie Band. He changed the mouthpiece on his saxophone, resulting in a darker, lower tone; he suffered from disappointment and depression after leaving behind his buddies in the band for a career that never really took off afterward; his short stint in the army was a disaster; he was drinking and smoking more and more; and maybe he was just getting a little older and somber as well. The result is a collection of fragile, beautiful songs. Many fans don't care as much for this sound as they do for his early recordings, but for me, they are the most touching things he recorded. These are the successful recordings of his "dark" period, which fell apart during the fifties, making a mess of his career. But for this brief period, his genius really shines through.
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