"Lester Leaps In"
Single by Count Basie's Kansas City Seven
Released1939
RecordedSeptember 5, 1939, New York City, NY
GenreJazz
Length3:12
LabelVocalion
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 head arrangement 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

  • "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)

Other recordings

In 1960 Harry James released a version on his album Harry James...Today (MGM E-3848).

References



This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.