submitted on Mon, 02/11/2008 - 07:06 in Jazz Group by Mike_Longo 
Whenever a label decides to blow the dust off of a live Lester Young recording, the results are unlikely to disappoint. Such is the case with Live at Birdland, which fits on one disc three different live radio broadcasts.
The first of the three sets was recorded January 15, 1953 and broadcast on NBC radio. Of the three performances heard here, this set curiously features the finest audio quality, though the second two were recorded three years later. In fact, the first portion of the disc is what will make this an attractive recommendation, since it features Prez playing along with the great Horace Silver on piano, as well as trumpeter Jesse Drakes, bassist Franklin Skeete and drummer Lee Abrams. The group stretches out with a couple of Gershwin standards that showcase imaginative soloing--particularly Drakes, which makes one wonder why he never ended up in the same canon as Lee Morgan, Art Farmer and Kenny Dorham. This portion also features a fine rendition of the Young staple a€oeLester Leaps In," another version of which also opens the disca€(TM)s second featured set...
Source: allaboutjazz
Author: Graham L. Flanagan
