Lester Leaps in: The Life and Times of Lester "Pres" Young

by Douglas Henry Daniels

The Life and Times of Lester "Pres" Young

The acclaimed biography of the legendary tenor saxophonist

"Lester Leaps In jumps off the page with authenticity and insight. The Prez was an amazing creator with a uniquely wicked sense of humor, and this book captures it all."
--Quincy Jones
"Twenty years in the making, this is the most thorough and penetrating book on the President of the Tenor Saxophone to date."
--Publishers Weekly
"A provocative book, presenting Lester Young in a novel, even controversial light while opening new avenues of possible investigation into one of the most tantalizingly enigmatic of all historic jazz figures."
--Richard Sudhalter, Los Angeles Times
"The lessons learned from Pres' painful life tell us a lot about ourselves and the horrible consequences of racism in America."
--T. Michael Crowell, San Diego Union-Tribune

Genres: Jazz, Biography, Music

524 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1902

Reviews

[D.J.]

An interesting loko into the life of a jazz icon. Some parts dragged a bit, especially early on before the book gets into Pres's jazz career. Overall, it's an interesting book.

[Jefferson]

The man who coined the phrase "cool" and "man" (because he was tired of black men being called "boy") Rumored to have an ongoing affair with Billie Holiday He gave her the nick name "Lady Day".