With cooperation from the Verve and Columbia Legacy catalogs, the
Ken Burns Jazz series on CD individually spotlights the musical excellence of 22 jazz originators whose careers and influence are explored in
Burns' PBS documentary Jazz. This disc highlights tenor saxophonist
Lester Young, beginning with his membership in the
Count Basie band during its historic prime from 1937 to 1939. In addition,
Young's late-'30s participation in the
Billie Holiday and
Teddy Wilson orchestras is represented, and the CD also includes mid-'40s sides for Aladdin such as "D.B Blues" and "Jumpin' With Symphony Sid" (which proved wrong many critics who insisted that
Young's abilities had deteriorated after his release from the military). Although
Young initially left
Basie in 1940, he occasionally rejoined the band, as evidenced by "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," this disc's concluding track from 1957. While it's difficult to sum up the history of
Lester Young on a single disc, the highlights presented on
Ken Burns Jazz should be enough to keep the novice jazz listener interested in searching out more material. ~ Al Campbell