Complete Aladdin Recordings

Lester Young | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 26, 1995)
• Original Release Date: September 26, 1995
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B000005H09
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #134,515 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars These Foolish Things, August 8, 2001

By 

Lefty O'doul "leoramur" - See all my reviews

This review is from: 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., January 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 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, March 16, 2007

By 

Hank Schwab (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 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.