It's Lester Young's 100 Birthday

[Devil Doc]

On this day, Jazz great Lester Young was born. Known as the President of Jazz or Prezz for short. Many of you aren't familiar with his music, but you use his words everyday. He was the first to call money, bread and use Cool for...cool. It was he who nicknamed Billie Holiday, Lady Day. There are many other examples. You can look it up.

Doc.

 

[Rodrigo de Jerez]

Cool in the face of the Man, man.

On a side note, Amiri Baraka is a highly controversial figure but his book Blues People: Negro Music in White America remains an interesting read.

-Mark

 

[PhatCat]

He was a genius!

I just was reading about him over at Ethan Iverson's blog:

http://thebadplus.typepad.com/dothemath/2009/08/lester-young-centennial.html

 

[Captain Leafheart]

Hail to the Chief!