Lester Young 2

The "Bird-Prez Birthday Broadcast", a 72 hour (and some years longer) marathon celebrating Lester Young and Charlie Parker around their birthday anniversaries, August 27 and August 29, is a long standing tradition at WKCR, and it is among our listeners' favorites. Here's a session that I put together for the 2023 broadcast. Two parts on Lester Young. First a brief random sample of his collaborations with Billie Holiday.  Sumptuous. The second part is a more in-depth look at Lester Young's activities in 1943 and 1944, a period often overlooked, as overshadowed by other more popular portions of his career.