SOMETIMES I'M HAPPY by the Lester Young Quartet 1943 JAZZ!!

"Sometimes I'm Happy" by the Lester Young Quartet with Johnny Guarnieri, Big Sid Catlett, and Slam Stewart! Gotta be jazz at it's finest! Enjoy!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Lester
• Young
• Quartet
• 1943
• Slam
• Stewart
• Johnny
• Guarnieri
• Sid
• Catlett
• Sometimes
• I'm
• Happy
• 78
• rpm
• record

[tas6010]

I was fortunate enough to pick up on "The Complete Keynote Recordings" box set back in the mid-80's. What a collection--there's of course, Lester, Coleman, Nat, Bud Freeman, Chubby Jackson, Red Norvo--you name it. Don't recall exactly how many LP's, because they're safely stored, but they're probably worth a mint by now. Great music!

[lusiande]

Cool!

[JohnnyDaytonMusic]

This is nice.

[SatchmoSings]

After Louis Armstrong, Lester "Prez" Young is my favorite; he was both very original and a great musician (the two don't necessarily go together).

Recorded probably with one microphone during a union-called recording ban (in WARTIME, no less!) these sides shine; my first introduction to Johnny Guarnieri was on a Benny Goodman Sextet side of "Grand Slam" (aka "Good Enough To Keep"); he takes a great solo on that.

Throw in Slam Stewart (formerly of "Slim 'n' Slam fame) Big Sid and there you go!

[Exilatus]

If Lester's songs would be women, they'd be wonderful.

[jhb134]

@laceup1967 - Thanks for the great info, laceup! I didn't realize that Lim didn't, actually start the label. There've been great reissues of Roy Eldridge and other Swing trumpeters ... incl. the unjustly-forgotten Joe Thomas .... and the entire series of Keynote recordings has very few, if any, weak spots.

[laceup1967]

@jhb134 Yes, the Keynote label is one of those boxes of undiscovered jewels. Harry Lim let the artists do their thing and also let session players headline. Players who normally had to play in the background got centre stage at Keynote. However, I have to point out that Lim didn't start the label. It was previously a "folk' label before Lim made it a jazz house. Josh White and Paul Robeson had already recorded great sides before Lim was hired as supervisor.

[jhb134]

Thanks to Harry Lim, for starting the old, Keynote label .... many years ago. Johnny Guarnieri sounds like an excellent substitute for Teddy Wilson, on piano. Slam Stewart is fine .... and Sidney Catlett was mentioned, by Whitney Balliett/New Yorker, as one of the GREATEST of all jazz drummers. ... Lester/Prez is himself ... inventive in all aspects, and one of the true hearts of jazz ... once again, referring-to Whitney Balliett, in the last conclusion!

[Fbmastahhevyb]

this is why he's the prez!

[blah148]

man, lester's lick at 2:48 just melts the soul!