Lester Young: Ad Lib Blues

This 1952 session will undoubtedly quiet anyone who criticizes Lester Youngs postwar career. Inspired by Oscar Petersons hard-swinging combo, Young sounds as brilliant and confident as ever. His tone is focused and deliciously sweet. His lines wind gracefully around the beat and are presented with expert clarity and logic. Young avoids many of the clichés that characterized his later period, instead stringing together longer, flowing phrases that recall his days in Count Basies band. He really digs in during his second solo, building intensity through motivic development and riffing, though never sacrificing the melodic beauty inherent in his playing. A true gem in the Lester Young discography.