A century (from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''; abbreviated c.) is one hundred consecutive years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages (e.g. "the 7th century AD/CE").

Start and end in the Gregorian Calendar[link]

According to the Gregorian calendar, the 1st century AD/CE started on January 1, 1 and ended on December 31, 100. The 2nd century started at year 101, the 3rd at 201, etc. The ''n''-th century started/will start on the year ''(100×n)-99'' and ends in ''100×n'' . A century will only include one year, the centennial year, that starts with the century's number (e.g. 1900 is the final year in the 19th century).

1st century BC and AD[link]

There is no "zeroth century" in between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. Also, there is no year 0 AD. The Julian calendar "jumps" from 1 BC to 1 AD. The first century BC includes the years 100 BC to 1 BC. Other centuries BC follow the same pattern.

Dating units in other calendar systems[link]

Besides the Gregorian calendar, the Julian calendar, the Aztec calendar, and the Hindu calendar have cycles of years which are used to delineate whole time periods; the Hindu calendar, in particular, summarizes its years into groups of 60, while the Aztec calendar considers groups of 52.

Centuries in astronomical year numbering[link]

Astronomical year numbering, used by astronomers, includes a year zero (0). Consequently, the 1st century in these calendars may designate the years 0 to 99 as the 1st century, years 100 to 199 as the second etc. However, in order to regard 2000 as the first year of the 21st century according to the astronomical year numbering, the astronomical year 0 has to correspond to the Gregorian year 1 BC.

Alternative naming systems[link]

In Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Finnish, centuries are typically not named ordinally, but according to the hundreds part of the year, and consequently centuries start at even multiples of 100. For example, Swedish ''nittonhundratalet'' (or ''1900-talet''), Danish and Norwegian ''nittenhundredetallet'' (or '' 1900-tallet'') and Finnish ''tuhatyhdeksänsataaluku'' (or ''1900-luku'') refer unambiguously to the years 1900–1999. The same system is used informally in English. For example, the years 1900–1999 are sometimes referred to as the ''nineteen hundreds'' (''1900s''). This is similar to the English decade names (''1980s'', meaning the years 1980–1989).

See also[link]

List of centuries

Millennium

Decade

Lustrum

Notes[link]

References[link]

''The Battle of the Centuries'', Ruth Freitag, U.S. Government Printing Office. Available from the Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250- 7954. Cite stock no. 030-001-00153-9.

External links[link]

Category:Units of time

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name	Lionel Hampton
landscape	yes
background	solo_singer
birth name	Lionel Leo Hampton
alias	"Hamp", "Mad Lionel"
birth date	April 20, 1908Louisville, Kentucky, United States
death date	August 31, 2002New York City, New York, United States
instrument	VibraphoneDrumsPianoVocals
genre	SwingBig bandMainstream jazzNew York blues
occupation	Multi-instrumentalistActorComposer
years active	1927–2002
label	Decca
associated acts	Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson, Quincy Jones, Louis Armstrong, Gloria Parker
notable instruments	}}

Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy Rich to Charlie Parker and Quincy Jones. In 1992, he was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.

Biography [link]

Early life [link]

Lionel Hampton was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1908, and was raised by his grandmother. Shortly after he was born, he and his mother moved to her hometown Birmingham, Alabama. He spent his early childhood in Kenosha, Wisconsin before he and his family moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1916. As a youth, Hampton was a member of the Bud Billiken Club, an alternative to the Boy Scouts of America, which was off limits because of racial segregation. During the 1920s—while still a teenager—Hampton took xylophone lessons from Jimmy Bertrand and started playing drums. Hampton was raised Roman Catholic, and started out playing fife and drum at the Holy Rosary Academy near Chicago.

Early career [link]

Lionel Hampton began his career playing drums for the Chicago Defender Newsboys' Band (led by Major N. Clark Smith) while still a teenager in Chicago. He moved to California in 1927 or 1928, playing drums for the Dixieland Blues-Blowers. He made his recording debut with The Quality Serenaders led by Paul Howard, then left for Culver City and drummed for the Les Hite band at Sebastian's Cotton Club. During this period he began practicing on the vibraphone. In 1930 Louis Armstrong came to California and hired the Les Hite band, asking Hampton if he would play vibes on two songs. So began his career as a vibraphonist, popularizing the use of the instrument ever since.

While working with the Les Hite band, Hampton also occasionally did some performing with Nat Shilkret and his orchestra. During the early 1930s he studied music at the University of Southern California. In 1934 he led his own orchestra, and then appeared in the 1936 Bing Crosby film ''Pennies From Heaven'' alongside Louis Armstrong (wearing a mask in a scene while playing drums).

With Benny Goodman [link]

Also in November 1936, the Benny Goodman Orchestra came to Los Angeles to play the Palomar Ballroom. When John Hammond brought Goodman to see Hampton perform, Goodman invited him to join his trio, which thus became the celebrated Benny Goodman Quartet with Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa completing the lineup. The Trio and Quartet were among the first racially integrated jazz groups to record and play before wide audiences, and were a leading small-group in an era when jazz was dominated by big bands.

Lionel Hampton Orchestra [link]

While Hampton worked for Goodman in New York, he recorded with several different small groups known as the ''Lionel Hampton Orchestra'', as well as assorted small groups within the Goodman band. In 1940 Hampton left the Goodman organization under amicable circumstances to form his own big band.

Hampton's orchestra became popular during the 1940s and early 1950s. His third recording with them in 1942 produced a classic version of "Flying Home", featuring a solo by Illinois Jacquet that anticipated rhythm & blues. The selection became very popular, and so in 1944 Hampton recorded "Flying Home, Number Two" featuring Arnett Cobb. The song went on to become the theme song for all three men. Guitarist Billy Mackel first joined Hampton in 1944, and would perform and record with him almost continuously through the late 1970s. In 1947 he recorded "Stardust" at a "Just Jazz" concert with Charlie Shavers and Slam Stewart produced by Gene Norman.

From the mid-1940s until the early 1950s, Hampton led a lively rhythm & blues band whose Decca Records recordings included numerous young performers who later achieved fame. They included bassist Charles Mingus, saxophonist Johnny Griffin, guitarist Wes Montgomery, vocalist Dinah Washington and keyboardist Milt Buckner. Other noteworthy band members were trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie, Cat Anderson, and Kenny Dorham, trombonists Snooky Young and Jimmy Cleveland, and saxophonists Illinois Jacquet and Jerome Richardson.

The Hampton orchestra that toured Europe in 1953 included Clifford Brown, Gigi Gryce, Anthony Ortega, Monk Montgomery, George Wallington, Art Farmer, Quincy Jones, and singer Annie Ross. Hampton continued to record with small groups and jam sessions during the 1940s and 1950s, with Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Buddy DeFranco, and others. In 1955, while in California working on ''The Benny Goodman Story'' he recorded with Stan Getz and Art Tatum for Norman Granz as well as with his own big band.

Hampton performed with Louis Armstrong and Italian singer Lara Saint Paul at the 1968 Sanremo Music Festival in Italy. The performance created a sensation with Italian audiences, as it broke into a real jazz session. That same year, Hampton received a Papal Medal from Pope Paul VI.

Later career [link]

During the 1960s, Hampton's groups were in decline; he was still performing what had succeeded for him during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. He did not fare much better in the 1970s, though he recorded actively on the Who's Who Record label.

Beginning in February 1984, Hampton and his band played at the University of Idaho's annual jazz festival, which was renamed the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival the following year. In 1987 the UI's school of music was renamed for Hampton, the first university music school named for a jazz musician.

Hampton remained active until a stroke in Paris in 1991 led to a collapse on stage. That incident, combined with years of chronic arthritis, forced him to cut back drastically on performances. However, he did play at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in 2001 shortly before his death.

Personal life [link]

On November 11, 1936, in Yuma, Arizona, Lionel Hampton married Gladys Riddle (c. 1910-1971). Gladys was Lionel's business manager throughout much of his career. Many musicians recall that Lionel ran the music and Gladys ran the business.

During the 1950s he had a strong interest in Judaism and raised money for Israel. In 1953 he composed a King David suite and performed it in Israel with the Boston Pops Orchestra. Later in life Hampton became a Christian Scientist. He had a love for puppies and in fact owned 30. He named half of them Bill and half Sharon. Hampton was a Thirty-third degree Prince Hall freemason in New York, also. In January 1997, his apartment caught fire and destroyed his awards and belongings; Hampton escaped uninjured.

thumb|The grave of Lionel HamptonLionel Hampton died from congestive heart failure on August 31, 2002 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, and was interred in the Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York. His funeral was held on September 7, 2002 and featured a performance by Wynton Marsalis and David Ostwald's Gully Low Jazz Band at Riverside Church in Manhattan; the procession began at The Cotton Club in Harlem.

Charity[link]

Hampton was deeply involved in the construction of various public housing projects, and founded the Lionel Hampton Development Corporation. Construction began with the Lionel Hampton Houses in Harlem, New York in the 1960s, with the help of then Republican governor Nelson Rockefeller. Hampton's wife—Gladys Hampton—also was very involved in construction of a housing project in her name—the Gladys Hampton Houses. Gladys died in 1971. In the 1980s, Hampton built another housing project called Hampton Hills in Newark, New Jersey.

Hampton was a staunch Republican and served as a delegate to several Republican National Conventions. He served as Vice-Chairman of the New York Republican County Committee for some years and also was a member of the New York City Human Rights Commission. Hampton donated almost $300,000 to Republican campaigns and committees throughout his lifetime.

Awards [link]

2001 - Harlem Jazz and Music Festival's Legend Award

1996 - National Medal of Arts presented by President Bill Clinton

1995 - Honorary Commissioner of Civil Rights by George Pataki

1995 - Honorary Doctorate from the New England Conservatory of Music

1993 - Honorary Doctorate from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore

1992 - Inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame

1992 - "Contributions To The Cultural Life of the Nation" award from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

1988 - The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship

1988 - The National Association of Jazz Educators Hall of Fame Award

1987 - Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from the University of Idaho - UI's School of Music renamed "Lionel Hampton School of Music."

1987 - The Roy Wilkins Memorial Award from the NAACP

1986 - The "One of a Kind" Award from Broadcast Music, Inc.

1984 - Jazz Hall of Fame Award from the Institute of Jazz Studies

1984 - Honorary Doctorate of Music from USC

1983 - The International Film and Television Festival of New York City Award

1983 - Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the State University of New York

1982 - Hollywood Walk of Fame Star

1981 - Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Glassboro State College

1979 - Honorary Doctorate of Music from Howard University

1978 - Bronze Medallion from New York City

1976 - Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Daniel Hale Williams University

1975 - Honorary Doctorate of Music from Xavier University of Louisiana

1974 - Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Pepperdine University

1968 - Papal Medal from Pope Paul VI

1966 - George Frederick Handel Medal

1957 - American Goodwill Ambassador by President Dwight D. Eisenhower

1954 - Israel's Statehood Award

Discography[link]

{| Class="wikitable"|width=100% |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" !align="center" valign="bottom" width="40"|Year !align="center" vallign="bottom" width="230"|Album !align="center" valign="bottom" width="230"|Notes !align="center" valign="bottom" width="120"|Label |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1937–39 |align="left" valign="top"|Benny Goodman -''The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings'' |align="left" valign="top"|along with Teddy Wilson, appearing as sideman with Benny Goodman |align="left" valign="top"|RCA Records |-|- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1937–39 |align="left" valign="top"|''Hot Mallets, Vol. 1'' |align="left" valign="top"|appearances by Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges, Harry James, Benny Carter, Chu Berry, Rex Stewart, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Charlie Christian |align="left" valign="top"|Bluebird Records |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|1937–39 |align="left" valign="top"|''The Jumpin Jive, Vol. 2'' |align="left" valign="top"| |align="left" valign="top"|Bluebird Records |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1938 |align="left" valign="top"|''The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert'' |align="left" valign="top"|appearance as sideman for Benny Goodman |align="left" valign="top"|Columbia Records |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1939–40 |align="left" valign="top"|''Tempo and Swing'' |align="left" valign="top"|appearances by Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Nat "King" Cole and Helen Forrest |align="left" valign="top"|Bluebird Records |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1944 |align="left" valign="top"|''Star Dust'' |align="left" valign="top"| the famous "Just Jazz" jam session |align="left" valign="top"|Verve Records |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1947 |align="left" valign="top"|''with the Just Jazz All Stars'' |align="left" valign="top"|Charlie Shavers, Willie Smith, Corky Corcoran, Milt Buckner, Slam Stewart, Jackie Mills, Lee Young |align="left" valign="top"|GNP Crescendo/Vogue 78s/London Records 1972 transfer |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1953–54 |align="left" valign="top"|''The Lionel Hampton Quintet'' |align="left" valign="top"| with DeFranco and Peterson. Includes a 17 minute jam on "Flyin Home". There is also a 5CD box of the complete Verve recordings of the quartets and quintets with Peterson, as well as a number of other compilations and selections. |align="left" valign="top"|Verve Records |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1955 |align="left" valign="top"|''Hamp and Getz'' |align="left" valign="top"| |align="left" valign="top"|Verve Records |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1958 |align="left" valign="top"|''The Golden Vibes'' |align="left" valign="top"| with a reed quintet |align="left" valign="top"|Columbia Records |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1958 |align="left" valign="top"|''Lionel'' |align="left" valign="top"| |align="left" valign="top"|Audio Fidelity |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1960 |align="left" valign="top"|''Silver Vibes'' |align="left" valign="top"|with a Trombones And Rhythms (Trombone Quartet) |align="left" valign="top"|Columbia Records |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1963 |align="left" valign="top"|Benny Goodman ''Together Again!'' |align="left" valign="top"| reunion with Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson & Gene Krupa |align="left" valign="top"|Columbia Records |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1963 |align="left" valign="top"|''You Better Know It!!!'' |align="left" valign="top"|with Clark Terry, Ben Webster, Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, Osie Johnson |align="left" valign="top"|Impulse! Records |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1972 |align="left" valign="top"|''Please Sunrise'' |align="left" valign="top"| |align="left" valign="top"|Brunswick Record Corporation |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1988 |align="left" valign="top"|''Mostly Blues'' |align="left" valign="top"| |align="left" valign="top"|Jazz Heritage Society |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1991 |align="left" valign="top"|''Live at the Blue Note'' |align="left" valign="top"| jamming with old friends including trombonist Al Grey |align="left" valign="top"|Columbia Records |- |}

;Compilations {| Class="wikitable"|width=100% |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" !align="center" valign="bottom" width="50"|Year !align="center" vallign="bottom" width="230"|Album !align="center" valign="bottom" width="230"|Notes !align="center" valign="bottom" width="120"|Label |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|37–40 |align="left" valign="top"|''Swing Classics - Lionel Hampton and His Jazz Groups'' |align="left" valign="top"|Recordings from 1937-1940 Reissued 1961 |align="left" valign="top"|RCA Victor LPM-2318 |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|39–56 |align="left" valign="top"|''Greatest Hits'' |align="left" valign="top"|Selections from above records |align="left" valign="top"|RCA Victor |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|42–63 |align="left" valign="top"|''Hamp!'' |align="left" valign="top"| - |align="left" valign="top"|GRP/Decca |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|37–63 |align="left" valign="top"|''The Lionel Hampton Story'' |align="left" valign="top"|Selections from all records and eras above |align="left" valign="top"|Proper |- |}

Filmography [link]

{| Class="wikitable"|width=100% |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" !align="center" valign="bottom" width="20"|Year !align="center" vallign="bottom" width="230"|Movie !align="center" valign="bottom" width="50"|Role !align="center" valign="bottom" width="120"|Director !align="center" valign="bottom" width="120"|Genre |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1933 |align="left" valign="top"|Girl Without A Room |align="left" valign="top"|himself |align="left" valign="top"|Ralph Murphy |align="left" valign="top"|Comedy |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|1936 |align="left" valign="top"|Pennies From Heaven |align="left" valign="top"|himself |align="left" valign="top"|Norman Z. McLeod |align="left" valign="top"|Comedy/Musical |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1937 |align="left" valign="top"|Hollywood Hotel |align="left" valign="top"|himself |align="left" valign="top"|Busby Berkeley |align="left" valign="top"|Musical/Romance |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|1938 |align="left" valign="top"|For Auld Lang Syne |align="left" valign="top"|himself |align="left" valign="top"|? |align="left" valign="top"|Documentary |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1948 |align="left" valign="top"|A Song Is Born |align="left" valign="top"|himself |align="left" valign="top"|Howard Hawks |align="left" valign="top"|Comedy/Musical |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|1949 |align="left" valign="top"|Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra |align="left" valign="top"|himself |align="left" valign="top"|Will Cowan |align="left" valign="top"|Music |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1955 |align="left" valign="top"|Musik, Musik and nur Musik |align="left" valign="top"|himself |align="left" valign="top"|Ernst Matray |align="left" valign="top"|Comedy |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|1955 |align="left" valign="top"|The Benny Goodman Story |align="left" valign="top"|himself |align="left" valign="top"|Valentine Davies |align="left" valign="top"|Drama |- |- bgcolor="#efefef" |align="left" valign="top"|1957 |align="left" valign="top"|Mister Rock and Roll |align="left" valign="top"|himself |align="left" valign="top"|Charles S. Dubin |align="left" valign="top"|Drama/Musical |- |- bgcolor="#F0F8FF" |align="left" valign="top"|1980 |align="left" valign="top"|But Then She's Betty Carter |align="left" valign="top"|himself |align="left" valign="top"|Michelle Parkerson |align="left" valign="top"|Documentary |- |}

References[link]

External links[link]

Lionel Hampton Library Collection, part of the International Jazz Collections at the University of Idaho Library

Christopher Popa, "Lionel Hampton: Music Was His Fountain of Youth," Big Band Library

Interview with Lionel Hampton by Felix Grant in 1982

Lionel Hampton's Gravesite

Lionel Hampton: His Life and Legacy at University of Idaho

Lionel Hampton at Drummersworld

''Gene Krupa - What's New(s)''

Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at University of Idaho

Lionel Hampton at IMDB

Official website of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame

Photos at Jazzhouse.org

Category:1908 births Category:2002 deaths Category:African American musicians Category:American jazz bandleaders Category:American jazz vibraphonists Category:Big band bandleaders Category:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx) Category:Cardiovascular disease deaths in New York Category:Deaths from congestive heart failure Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Musicians from Alabama Category:Mainstream jazz vibraphonists Category:Musicians from Kentucky Category:New York blues musicians Category:New York Republicans Category:People from Birmingham, Alabama Category:Swing bandleaders Category:Swing vibraphonists Category:Timeless Records artists Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients Category:University of Southern California alumni

ca:Lionel Hampton cs:Lionel Hampton da:Lionel Hampton de:Lionel Hampton es:Lionel Hampton eo:Lionel Hampton eu:Lionel Hampton fr:Lionel Hampton io:Lionel Hampton it:Lionel Hampton he:ליונל המפטון ka:ლაიონელ ჰემპტონი sw:Lionel Hampton nl:Lionel Hampton ja:ライオネル・ハンプトン no:Lionel Hampton oc:Lionel Hampton nds:Lionel Hampton pl:Lionel Hampton pt:Lionel Hampton ru:Хэмптон, Лайонел fi:Lionel Hampton sv:Lionel Hampton

name	Lester Young
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Lester Willis Young
alias	"Pres" or "Prez"
birth date	August 27, 1909
Birth place	Woodville, Mississippi, U.S.
death date	March 15, 1959
Death place	New York City, New York, U.S.
origin	Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
instrument	Tenor saxophone, clarinet
genre	Jazz
occupation	Saxophonist, clarinetist
years active	1933–1959
label	Verve
notable instruments	}}

Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. He also played trumpet, violin, and drums.

Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most influential players on his instrument, playing with a cool tone and using sophisticated harmonies. He invented or popularized much of the hipster ethos which came to be associated with the music.

Early life and career[link]

Lester Young was born in Woodville, Mississippi and grew up in a musical family. Young's father, Willis Handy Young, was a respected teacher, his brother Lee Young was a drummer, and several other relatives played music professionally. His family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, when Lester was an infant and later to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Although at a very young age Young did not initially know his father, he learned that his father was a musician. Later Willis taught his son to play the trumpet, violin, and drums in addition to the saxophone.

Lester Young played in his family's band in both the vaudeville and carnival circuits. He left the family band in 1927 at the age of 18 because he refused to tour in the Southern United States, where Jim Crow laws were in effect and racial segregation was required in public facilities.

With the Count Basie Orchestra[link]

In 1933 Young settled in Kansas City, where after playing briefly in several bands, he rose to prominence with Count Basie. His playing in the Basie band was characterized by a relaxed style which contrasted sharply with the aggressive approach of Coleman Hawkins, the dominant tenor sax player of the day.

Young left the Basie band to replace Hawkins in Fletcher Henderson's orchestra. He soon left Henderson to play in the Andy Kirk band (for six months) before returning to Basie. While with Basie, Young made small-group recordings for Milt Gabler's Commodore Records, ''The Kansas City Sessions''. Although they were recorded in New York (in 1938, with a reunion in 1944), they are named after the group, the Kansas City Seven, and comprised Buck Clayton, Dicky Wells, Basie, Young, Freddie Green, Rodney Richardson, and Jo Jones. Young played clarinet as well as tenor in these sessions. He was a master of the clarinet, and there too his style was entirely his own. As well as the ''Kansas City Sessions'', his clarinet work from 1938-39 is documented on recordings with Basie, Billie Holiday, Basie small groups, and the organist Glenn Hardman.

After Young's clarinet was stolen in 1939, he abandoned the instrument until about 1957. That year Norman Granz gave him one and urged him to play it (with far different results at that stage in Young's life--see below).

Leaving Basie[link]

Young left the Basie band in late 1940. He is rumored to have refused to play with the band on Friday, December 13 of that year for superstitious reasons, spurring his dismissal. Lester left the band around that time and subsequently led a number of small groups that often included his brother, noted drummer Lee Young, for the next couple of years; live and broadcast recordings from this period exist.

During this period Young accompanied the singer Billie Holiday in a couple of studio sessions in 1940 and 1941 and also made a small set of recordings with Nat "King" Cole (their first of several collaborations) in June 1942. His studio recordings are relatively sparse during the 1942 to 1943 period, largely due to the American Federation of Musicians' recording ban. It was Holiday who gave Young the nickname "Pres", short for President.

In December 1943 Young returned to the Basie fold for a 10-month stint, cut short by his being drafted into the army during World War II (see below). Recordings made during this and subsequent periods suggest Young was beginning to make much greater use of a plastic reed, which tended to give his playing a somewhat heavier, breathier tone (although still quite smooth compared to that of many other players). While he never abandoned the wooden reed, he used the plastic reed a significant share of the time from 1943 until the end of his life. Another cause for the thickening of his tone around this time was a change in saxophone mouthpiece from a metal Otto Link to an ebonite Brilhart. In August 1944 Young appeared alongside drummer Jo Jones, trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, and fellow tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet in Gjon Mili's short film ''Jammin' the Blues''.

Army service[link]

In September 1944 Young and Jo Jones were in Los Angeles with the Basie Band when they were inducted into the U.S. Army. Unlike many white musicians, who were placed in band outfits such as the ones led by Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw, Young was assigned to the regular army where he was not allowed to play his saxophone. Based in Ft. McClellan, Alabama, Young was found with marijuana and alcohol among his possessions. He was soon court-martialed. Young did not fight the charges and was convicted. He served one year in a detention barracks and was dishonorably discharged in late 1945. His experience inspired his composition "D.B. Blues" (with D.B. standing for detention barracks).

Some jazz historians have argued that Young's playing power declined in the years following his army experience, though critics such as Scott Yanow disagree with this entirely. Recordings show that his playing began to change before he was drafted. Some argue that Young's playing had an increasingly emotional slant to it, and the post-war period featured some of his greatest renditions of ballads.

Post-war recordings[link]

Young's career after World War II was far more prolific and lucrative than in the pre-war years in terms of recordings made, live performances, and annual income. Young joined Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) troupe in 1946, touring regularly with them over the next 12 years. He made a significant number of studio recordings under Granz's supervision for his Verve Records label as well, including more trio recordings with Nat King Cole. Young also recorded extensively in the late 1940s for Aladdin Records (1946-7, where he had made the Cole recordings in 1942) and for Savoy (1944, '49 and '50), some sessions of which included Basie on piano.

While the quality and consistency of his playing ebbed gradually in the latter half of the 1940s and into the early 1950s, he also gave some brilliant performances during this stretch. Especially noteworthy are his performances with JATP in 1946, 1949, and 1950. With Young at the 1949 JATP concert at Carnegie Hall were Charlie Parker and Roy Eldridge, and Young's solo on "Lester Leaps In" at that concert is a particular standout among his performances in the latter half of his career.

Struggle and revival[link]

From around 1951, Young's level of playing began to decline more precipitously, as he began to drink more and more heavily. His playing showed reliance on a small number of clichéd phrases and reduced creativity and originality, despite his claims that he did not want to be a "repeater pencil" (Young coined this phrase to describe the act of repeating one's own past ideas). A comparison of his studio recordings from 1952, such as the session with pianist Oscar Peterson, and those from 1953–1954 (all available on the Verve label) also demonstrates a declining command of his instrument and sense of timing, possibly due to both mental and physical factors. Young's playing and health went into a crisis, culminating in a November 1955 hospital admission following a nervous breakdown.

He emerged from this treatment improved. In January 1956 he recorded two Granz-produced sessions featuring pianist Teddy Wilson (who had led the Billie Holiday recordings with Young in the 1930s), trumpet player Roy Eldridge, trombonist Vic Dickenson, bassist Gene Ramey, and drummer Jo Jones - available on the ''Jazz Giants '56'' and ''Prez and Teddy'' albums. 1956 was a relatively good year for Lester Young, including a tour of Europe with Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Quartet and a successful stint at Olivia's Patio Lounge in Washington, DC.

Throughout the 1940s and 50s, Young had sat in on Count Basie Orchestra gigs from time to time. The best-known of these is their July 1957 appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival, the line-up including many of Lester's old buddies: Jo Jones, Roy Eldridge, Illinois Jacquet and Jimmy Rushing. His playing was in better shape, and he produced some of the old, smooth toned flow of the 1930s. Among other tunes he played a moving "Polkadots and Moonbeams", which was a favorite of his at that time.

The final years[link]

On December 8, 1957, Young appeared with Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge, and Gerry Mulligan in the CBS television special ''The Sound of Jazz'', performing Holiday's tunes "Lady Sings The Blues" and "Fine and Mellow". It was a reunion with Holiday, with whom he'd fallen out of contact for years. She was also in decline at the end of her career, and they both gave moving performances. Young's solo was brilliant, considered by many jazz musicians an unparalleled marvel of economy, phrasing and extraordinarily moving emotion. But, Young seemed gravely ill, and was the only horn player who was seated (except during his solo) during the performance. By this time his alcoholism had cumulative effect. He was eating significantly less, drinking more and more, and suffering from liver disease and malnutrition. Young's sharply diminished physical strength in the final two years of his life yielded some recordings with a frail tone, shortened phrases, and, on rare occasions, a difficulty in getting any sound to come out of his horn at all.

Lester Young made his final studio recordings and live performances in Paris in March 1959 with drummer Kenny Clarke at the tail end of an abbreviated European tour during which he ate next to nothing and virtually drank himself to death. He died in the early morning hours of March 15, 1959, only hours after arriving back in New York, at the age of 49. He was buried at the Cemetery of the Evergreens in Brooklyn. According to jazz critic Leonard Feather, who rode with Holiday in a taxi to Young's funeral, she said after the services, "I'll be the next one to go." Holiday died four months later at age 44.

Posthumous dedications and influence[link]

Charles Mingus dedicated an elegy, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", for Young only a few months after his death. Wayne Shorter, then of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, composed a tribute, called "Lester Left Town".

Young's playing style influenced many other tenor saxophonists. Perhaps the most famous and successful of these were Stan Getz and Dexter Gordon, but he also influenced many in the cool movement such as Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, and Gerry Mulligan. Paul Quinichette modeled his style so closely on Young's that he was sometimes referred to as the 'Vice Prez' (sic). Sonny Stitt began to incorporate elements from Lester Young's approach when he made the transition to tenor saxophone. Lester Young also had a direct influence on young Charlie Parker ("Bird"), and thus the entire be-bop movement. Indeed, recordings of Parker on tenor sax are similar in style to that of Young. Lesser known saxophonists, such as Warne Marsh, were strongly influenced by Young.

Don Byron recorded the album ''Ivey-Divey'' in gratitude of what he learned from studying Lester Young's work, modeled after a 1946 trio date with Buddy Rich and Nat King Cole. "Ivey-Divey" was one of Lester Young's common eccentric phrases.

Young is a major character in English writer Geoff Dyer's 1991 fictional book about jazz, ''But Beautiful''. "The Resurrection of Lady Lester" by OyamO (Charles F. Gordon) is a play and published book depicting Young's life; subtitled "A Poetic Mood Song Based on the Legend of Lester Young".

In the 1986 film ''Round Midnight'', the fictional main character Dale Turner, played by Dexter Gordon, was partly based on Young - incorporating flashback references to his army experiences, and loosely depicting his time in Paris and his return to New York just before his death.

Acid Jazz/boogaloo band the Greyboy Allstars song "Tenor Man" is a tribute to Young. On their 1999 album "Live", saxophonist Karl Denson introduces the song by saying, "now some folks may have told you that Lester Young is out of style, but we're here to tell you that the Prez is happenin' right now." Those were literally the lyrics Rahsaan Roland Kirk wrote and sang to the melody of the Charles Mingus elegy, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat".

Peter Straub's short story collection ''Magic Terror'' (2000) contains a story called "Pork Pie Hat", a fictional account of the life of Lester Young. Straub was inspired by Young's appearance on the 1957 CBS-TV show, ''The Sound of Jazz'', which he watched repeatedly, wondering how such a genius could have ended up such a human wreck.

He is said to have popularized the term cool as slang for something fashionable. Another slang term he coined was the term "bread" for money. He would ask "How does the bread smell?" when asking how much a gig was going to pay.

Discography[link]

As member of Basie band[link]

''The Complete Decca Recordings'' (1937–39) Decca Records

''America's #1 Band: The Columbia Years'' (1936-1940 and non-Young sessions to 1942) Columbia Records

''Super Chief'' (1936-1940 and non-Young sessions to 1964) Columbia Records

Solo career[link]

''The Kansas City Sessions'' (1938 and 1944) Commodore Records

''The Master's Touch'' (1944) - Savoy Records

''The Complete Aladdin Recordings'' (1942-7) - the 1942 Nat King Cole session and more from the post-war period

''Lester Young Trio'' (1946) - with Cole again, and Buddy Rich Verve Records

''The Complete Savoy Recordings'' (1944–50)

''Lester Young Trio'' (1946) - Verve Records

''One Night Stand - The Town Hall Concert 1947'' - live recording

''Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio'' (1952) Verve Records

''Live at Birdland- Lester Young'' (1953)

''Pres and Teddy'' (1956) Verve Records

''The Jazz Giants '56'' (1956) - Verve Records

''The Complete Lester Young Studio Sessions on Verve'' - 8-CD boxed set (includes the only two Young interviews in existence)

''Lester Young in Washington, D.C., 1956'' (5 volumes), with house-band the Bill Potts Trio.

Count Basie - ''Count Basie at Newport'' (1957)

References[link]

External links[link]

The Legendary Lester Young: an article in the TLS by John Mole, July 18, 2007.

A detailed chronology of recordings featuring Lester Young

Who 2

Lester Young multimedia directory

Why Lester Young Matters by Ted Gioia (jazz.com)

Lester Young Centennial by Ethan Iverson

Lester Young 100th Year Anniversary Site

Category:1909 births Category:1959 deaths Category:People from Woodville, Mississippi Category:Swing saxophonists Category:Swing clarinetists Category:Cool jazz saxophonists Category:American clarinetists Category:American jazz saxophonists Category:American jazz clarinetists Category:Burials at the Cemetery of the Evergreens Category:Vaudeville performers Category:Count Basie Orchestra members Category:African American musicians Category:Savoy Records artists Category:Vocalion Records artists Category:People from the Kansas City metropolitan area Category:People from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:Alcohol-related deaths in New York

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