PRES

In Late 1945 Lester Young recorded this masterpiece in Los Angeles, California. Fresh from a dishonorable discharge from the the army that ended with a stint in the detention barracks for among other things, possession of weed, alcohol and being married to a white woman. Needless to say, Lester didn't sign up on his own volition, nor did his commanding officers in Augusta, Georgia appreciate his special genius. A few weeks after this session he appeared at Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic, with Charlie Parker who was headed to a different type of detention later that year. Pres seems to have embraced the new music and held his own at the same time. This version of "These Foolish Things" is one of my favorite things.














REAL GONE














REAL GONE