What a gorgeous piece of music. “Goodbye, Pork-Pie Hat” is a 1959 composition, written by jazz composer and bassist Charles Mingus, as en elegy for saxophonist LESTER YOUNG (“Pres”), 1909-1959. Mingus wrote and recorded it immediately after Pres died, for one of his peak albums, Mingus Ah Um. It is full of love, loss and …
In 1944, six weeks before D-Day, Warner Brothers filmed this gem of a jazz session, boasting a stellar lineup led by Lester Young in his prime. But it’s Marie Bryant who steals the show, first with a fine rendition of The Sunny Side of the Street, and next with an astounding dance number with Archie …
This is one of the most famous jazz performances ever recorded for television. When it aired live on Dec. 8,1957, Billie Holiday and Lester Young were both in terrible health and far past their artistic best. Formerly close, they were now estranged, but the jazz critic Nat Hentoff had persuaded them to share the stage …