caption death_date death_place years_active alias birth_place label article_title name background birth_date instrument genre image origin birth_name occupation
young n.y. , c. september 1946 . photo by william p. at gottlieb . the famous door , new york , 15 march 1959 new york city , new york , u.s. 1933 -- 1959 `` pres '' or `` prez '' woodville , mississippi , u.s. verve , commodore , savoy , ojc lester young
 lester young non_vocal_instrumentalist 27 august 1909 tenor saxophone , clarinet jazz lester young -lrb- gottlieb 09431 -rrb- . jpg kansas city , missouri , u.s. lester willis young musician
lester young

lester willis young -lrb- august 27 , 1909 -- march 15 , 1959 -rrb- , nicknamed `` pres '' or `` prez '' , was an american jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist .
coming to prominence while a member of count basie 's orchestra , young was one of the most influential players on his instrument .
in contrast to many of his hard-driving peers , young played with a relaxed , cool tone and used sophisticated harmonies , using `` a free-floating style , wheeling and diving like a gull , banking with low , funky riffs that pleased dancers and listeners alike '' .
known for his hip , introverted style , he invented or popularized much of the hipster jargon which came to be associated with the music .
