Two Old Friends, Still Swinging
Lester Young and Harry Edison together is exactly as relaxed and easy as it sounds.
By 1955, Lester Young had been through a lot. His time at the Army during World War II had genuinely broken something in him, and his playing in later years often gets dismissed as a shadow of his earlier self. That's not entirely fair, and Pres and Sweets (1955) makes a decent case for the defense. Paired with trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, Young sounds comfortable in a way he didn't always manage in the studio in his later period. These were two musicians who had come up together in the Count Basie band, and that shared history shows. The session doesn't feel like work.
Edison was always a spare player — he could do more with a half-valve smear and a perfectly placed note than most trumpeters could do with a flurry of runs. That suits Young perfectly. The two of them trade phrases without stepping on each other, and the rhythm section keeps things loose rather than pushing too hard. This is small-group swing at a comfortable tempo, more interested in feel than fireworks. If you come in expecting the Young of the late 1930s Basie recordings, you'll hear the difference. But taken on its own terms, the album is genuinely enjoyable.
Norgran, Norman Granz's label, had a knack for putting together these kinds of relaxed all-star dates, and this one works better than most because the pairing actually makes sense. Young and Edison weren't just names thrown together for marketing — they had chemistry going back years. The record is a pleasant hang rather than a career-defining statement, and there's nothing wrong with that. Worth picking up if you like either musician, and a good entry point if you want to hear later Young in a setting that actually flatters him.
Who's playing
Ray Browndouble bass
Oscar Petersonpiano
Herb Ellisguitar
Lester Youngtenor saxophone
Harry “Sweets” Edisontrumpet
Buddy Richdrums
Where next?
More by Lester Young
In Washington, D.C. 1956, Volume One 1956
Le Dernier Message de Lester Young 1959
In Washington, D.C. 1956 Volume Two 1956
Laughin' to Keep From Cryin' 1958
The musicians on this record
Big Swing Face 1967
Buddy Rich
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
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
Hello Herbie 1970
Herb Ellis
plays guitar here
plays guitar here
