Lester Young

Largely seen as one of the most influential jazz musicians of all-time, Lester Young is a true great whose influence remains prevalent in modern jazz, pioneering a free-floating style which changed the landscape of the genre at the time. A frequent collaborator with the legendary Billie Holiday amongst others, he was affectionately nicknamed Pres, meaning President of the Tenor Saxophone.

Born into a musical family, he performed in his family band in the 1920s, but left to tour with Art Bronson's Bostonians in 1927 and continued as a freelance musician at the turn of the decade. Young's first work of note was with Count Basie in 1936 alongside the likes of Billie Holiday and Teddy Wilson. After leaving Basie in 1940, he went through an aimless period in the wilderness before returning three years later. This was cut short after less than a year as Young was drafted by the military.

Young was said to never have been the same upon his return. Having suffered racial abuse amongst other injustices, his mental health was badly affected, and he ended up being court-martialled for possession of alcohol and marijuana. He did not fight the charges, and this led to his original composition 'D.B. Blues'. His mental state along with a development of alcoholism, led to his admission to hospital in 1955 due to a mental breakdown.

Young was more prolific when he returned to music, releasing a number of albums and touring around the world. He released 'The Jazz Giants '56' in 1956 which is to this day seen as an iconic jazz album. After reuniting with Billie Holiday in December 1957 for a television special, he completed his final recordings in 1959 in Paris before passing away hours after his return to New York.