Lester Leaps In
| "Lester Leaps In" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Count Basie's Kansas City Seven | |
| Released | 1939 |
| Recorded | September 5, 1939, New York City, NY |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Length | 3:12 |
| Label | Vocalion 5118 |
| Songwriter(s) | Lester Young |
"Lester Leaps In" is a jazz standard originally recorded by Count Basie's Kansas City Seven in 1939.[1] The composition, credited to the group's tenor saxophone player Lester Young, is a contrafact based on the chord progression of "I Got Rhythm", and serves as a vehicle for interweaving solos by Young and Basie.
Eddie Jefferson, pioneer of vocalese, wrote lyrics for the composition, calling his version "I Got the Blues".[2]
Critical acclaim
[edit]- "Lester Leaps In" is listed among the Milestone Recordings in American Music at the Three Perfect Minutes site.[3]
- jazz.com gives "Lester Leaps In" a 98, on a scale of 100 – "Classic performance. A 'must have' for jazz fans."[4]
Personnel (original 1939 recording)
[edit]- Count Basie - piano
- Lester Young - tenor saxophone
- Buck Clayton - trumpet
- Dicky Wells - trombone
- Freddie Green - guitar
- Walter Page - bass
- Jo Jones - drums
Other recordings
[edit]In 1960 Harry James released a version on his album Harry James...Today (MGM E-3848).
References
[edit]- ^ Brian Rust, Jazz and Ragtime Records, 1897-1942 Archived 2009-02-09 at the Wayback Machine, Mainspring Press, 2008.
- ^ "Lester Leaps In (1940)", JazzStandards.com.
- ^ "Lester Leaps In (1939)", at Three Perfect Minutes, retrieved 2013-10-23.
- ^ Lester Leaps In (1939) Archived 2013-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, at jazz.com Archived November 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2013-10-23.
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