Laughin to Keep From Cryin: Vme Series
Listening to Lester Young play saxophone near the end of his life can be trying, especially for those who know the brilliance of his playing before and just after World War II. Years of drinking, depression, and despair had clearly taken their toll on his wind, his technique, and most of all, the inventive genius inherent in his saying what he had to say. Still, any Prez is better than anything else by most other tenor players. So this 1958 disc, which documents his next-to-last recording session, is clearly worth more than a listen. Musically, the opening two tracks on this session start out a little rough with Young deciding with typical impulsiveness to forgo the tenor sax for the clarinet--an instrument he hadn't played in any meaningful way in two decades. Yet somehow, on "They Can't Take That Away from Me," he manages to concoct a haunting solo that several writers have tabbed as his last great musical statement. His solo on "Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone," while stunted in spots, also has moments when his famous floating tone takes flight. A pair of trumpeters,Harry "Sweets" Edison(like Young, aCount Basieband alum) andRoy Eldridge, added much-needed fire to a session on which the rhythm section ofHerb Ellis(guitar),Hank Jones(piano), Mickey Sheen (drums), and George Duvivier (bass) is nothing special. Although all of what's here also appears on the 1999 box setThe Complete Lester Young Studio Sessions on Verve, this new Verve Master Edition reissue features new 96/24 digital transfers that give the sound a spaciousness and warmth lacking in previous issues.--Robert Baird