All too often, jazz critics have promoted the myth that Lester Young's playing went way downhill after World War II -- that the seminal tenor man was so emotionally wounded by the racism he suffered in the military in 1944-1945 that he could no longer play as well as he had in the '30s and early '40s. To be sure, Young went through hell in the military, and his painful experiences took their toll in the form of alcohol abuse, severe depression, and various health problems. But despite Young's mental decline, he was still a fantastic soloist. This eight-CD set, which gathers most of the studio recordings that he made for Norman Granz's Clef, Norgran, and Verve labels from 1946-1959, underscores the fact that much of his postwar output was superb. At its worst, this collection is at least decent, but the Pres truly excels on sessions with Nat "King" Cole and Buddy Rich in 1946, Oscar Peterson and Barney Kessel in 1952, Roy Eldridge and Teddy Wilson in 1956, and Harry "Sweets" Edison in 1957. Disc 8 contains two recorded interviews with the saxman -- one conducted by Chris Albertson in 1958 for WCAU radio in Philadelphia, the other by French jazz enthusiast Francois Postif in Paris on February 6, 1959 (only five or six weeks before Young's death on March 15 of that year). The contrast between the fascinating interviews is striking; in Philly, Young is polite and soft-spoken, whereas in Paris, the effects of the alcohol are hard to miss. Sounding intoxicated and using profanity liberally, Young candidly tells Postif about everything from his experiences with racism to his associations with Billie Holiday and Count Basie. But as much as the set has going for it, The Complete Lester Young Studio Sessions on Verve isn't for novices, casual listeners, or those who are budget-minded. Collectors are the ones who will find this CD to be a musical feast.
CD 1
1. Back to the land
2. I cover the waterfront (12"-LP take)
3. I cover the waterfront (master take)
4. Somebody loves me
5. I've found a new baby
6. The man I love
7. Peg o' my heart
8. I want to be happy
9. Mean to me
10. Too marvelous for words (78-rpm take)
11. Too marvelous for words (LP take)
12. Deed I do
13. Encore
14. Polka dots and moonbeams
15. Up 'n' Adam
16. Three little words
17. Count every star (master take)
18. 1. Count every star 2.
19. It all depends on you
20. Neenah (alternate take)
21. Neenah (alternate take)
22. Neenah (master take)
CD 2
1. Jeepers creepers
2. Thou swell (USA 78-rpm take)
3. Thou swell (Canada 78-rpm take)
4. September in the rain
5. Undercover girl Blues
6. Frenesi
7. Pete's cafe
8. Little Pee Blues
9. A foggy day
10. In a little spanish town
11. Let's fall in love
12. Down 'n' Adam
13. Lester swings
14. Slow motion Blues
15. Ad lib Blues
16. Just you, just me
17. Tea for two
18. Indiana
19. These foolish things
20. I can't get started (false start / 0.53). - (master take / 3.37)
CD 3
1. Star dust
2. 1. It takes two to tango 2. 3.
3. On the sunny side of the street
4. Almost like being in love
5. I can't give you anything but love
6. There will never be another you
7. I'm confessin' (that I love you)
8. Willow weep for me
9. This can't be love
10. Can't we be friends ?
11. Tenderly
12. New D. B. Blues
13. Jumpin' at the woodside
14. I can't believe that you're in love with me
15. Oh, lady, be good
16. Another mambo
17. Come rain or come shine
18. Rose room
19. Somebody loves me
20. Touch me again Kiss me again
21. It don't mean a thing (if it ain't got that swing)
CD 4
1. I'm in the mood for love
2. Big top Blues
3. Mean to me
4. That's all (alternate take)
5. That's all (master take)
6. Red boy Blues
7. Pennies from heaven
8. She's funny that way (breakdown)
9. She's funny that way (master take)
10. One o'clock jump 1.
11. It's the talk of the town 1.
12. I've found a new baby 1.
13. I guess I'll have to change my plan
CD 5
1. I didn't know what time it was
2. Gigantic Blues
3. This year's kisses
4. You can depend on me
5. Pres returns
6. Prisoner of love
7. Taking a chance on love
8. All of me
9. Louise
10. Love is here to stay
11. Love me or leave me
CD 6
1. Studio chat (0.15). - St. Tropez (alternate take / 6.52)
2. St. Tropez (master take)
3. Flic
4. Ballad Medley: 1. A ghost of a chance 2. I cover the waterfront
5. Love is here to stay
6. Sunday (rejected version)
7. Perdido (incomplete take)
8. 1. Waldorf Blues 2.
9. Waldorf Blues (master take)
10. Sunday (master take)
11. You're getting to be a habit with me (alternate take)
CD 7
1. Studio chat 1. You're getting to be a habit with me
2. Romping
3. Gypsy in my soul
4. Please don't talk about me when I'm gone
5. They can't take that away from me
6. Salute to Benny
7. Ballad Medley: 1. The very thought of you 2. I want a little girl 3. Blue and sentimental
8. Mean to me
9. I didn't know what time it was
10. Oh, lady, be good
11. Almost like being in love
12. Three little words
13. I cover the waterfront
14. I can't get started
CD 8
1. Indiana
2. Pennies from heaven
3. New D. B. Blues
4. Lullaby of Birdland
5. There will never be another you
6. Tea for two
7. Early life: 1. Birthplace 2. Music in New Orleans 3. Young's father
8. After New Orleans
9. Pres's instruments: 1. Drums 2. Tenor saxophone
10. Count Basie
11. Racial tension
12. Influences
13. Composing and reading music: 1. The family band 2. With Orchestra
14. Recordings: Clarinet dates
15. Lady Day and nobody's business
16. Philosophy on music I
17. Younger saxophonists
18. Basie then and now
19. Debunking
20. Philosophy on music II
21. Pres's sound: Sitting in with Fletcher Henderson
22. Joining Henderson
23. Early Pres: Oliver, Bronson, Basie
24. Coleman Hawkins and Henderson
25. Billie Holiday
26. Recording techniques
27. Pres's favorite singers
28. Philosophy on music vis-à-vis other tenor players
29. Records new and old
30. Mahalia Jackson
