1954 · Album
Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio #2
Recorded 1954 · Not specified in provided source · Produced by Not specified in provided source
Young and Peterson, Swinging in June
Two masters doing what they did best: playing hard, playing straight, no wasted motion.
This is one of three albums Lester Young recorded with Oscar Peterson's trio in 1954, released in June that year along with its companion volume. It's solid work—the kind of session where you get a saxophonist and a pianist who both know exactly what they're doing, and they just play. Young sounds relaxed here, which is usually a good sign. He wasn't the flashy type; he played with space around his notes, letting the rhythm section breathe. Peterson's trio was his working band at the time, so there's no rust, no feeling-out process. The rhythm section knows where Young wants to go before he gets there.
This album sits squarely in the middle of Young's catalog—not his early breakthrough work, not his final recordings, but a solid mid-career document. If you know Young already, you'll recognize his approach: melodic, slightly ahead of or behind the beat in that personal way of his, more interested in what he leaves out than what he puts in. Peterson was a different animal—a technician who swung hard and had something to prove. Together they don't clash so much as occupy different spaces in the same room. Young leads, Peterson follows but doesn't fade into the background. It's a working relationship, professional and real.
Start here only if you already have a taste for Young's tenor sound. If you're new to him, find one of his earlier records first—something from the late 1930s or early 1940s—because that's where the real innovation happened. This is more about watching two skilled musicians do their job well. It's worth your time, but it's not the place to discover why Young mattered.
Who's playing
Ray Browndouble bass
Oscar Petersonpiano
Barney Kesselguitar
Lester Youngtenor saxophone
J.C. Hearddrums
Where next?
More by Lester Young
In Washington, D.C. 1956, Volume One 1956
Pres and Sweets 1955
Le Dernier Message de Lester Young 1959
In Washington, D.C. 1956 Volume Two 1956
The musicians on this record
Oscar Peterson Plays Count Basie 1956
Oscar Peterson
plays piano here
plays piano here
Bass Hit! 1957
Ray Brown
plays double bass here
plays double bass here
Barney Kessel, Volume 3: "To Swing or Not to Swing" 1955
Barney Kessel
plays guitar here
plays guitar here
