Lester Young - Blues for Greasy (1950)

Life Magazine photographer Gjon Mili joined with jazz producer and Verve-label owner Norman Granz to produce the short film "Jammin' the Blues" in 1944 with Lester Young, Red Callendar, Harry Edison, "Big" Sid Catlett, Illinois Jacquet, Barney Kessel, Jo Jones and Marie Bryant. The film was nominated for Best Short Subject at the 1945 Academy Awards, but didn't win.

The pair came together again in 1950 to shoot footage of leading jazz artists of the day, but when funding dried up, the film ceased production and sat on shelves for 50 years (except for a few snippets which found their way onto bootlegs).

Blues For Greasy is one of those pieces shot by Gjon Mili and Norman Granz, using musicians from his Jazz at the Philharmonic tour.

Harry 'Sweets' Edison: trumpet
Lester Young: Tenor Sax
Flip Phillips: Tenor Sax
Bill Harris: Trombone
Hank Jones: Piano
Ray Brown: Bass
Buddy Rich: Drums
Ella Fitzgerald: Vocals

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Jazz
• Lester
• Young
• Ella
• Fitzgerald
• Harry
• Sweets
• Edison
• Buddy
• Rich
• Ray
• Brown
• Hank
• Jones
• Flip
• Phillips

[steelfire22]

Does anyone, (by some chance) know who's playing on the other Tenor in this (the fellow on the right with the final solo)?

[kenjames64]

@steelfire22 That would be Flip Phillips.

[glene37]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned that this is NOT live music, it's guys pantomiming to a pre-recorded track (the instrumental equivalent of lip-syncing). This has been common knowledge for years (except to YouTube contributors and viewers, apparently).

[kenjames64]

@glene37 It's common knowledge that live performances were impossible here for a variety of technical reasons. Anyone who watches Ella scat can tell she's not doing it live. This is still a great document of some of the greatest jazz musicians of the 20th century, all in one room, and there is very little of this material available. (Bird appears in two earlier segments.) The fact that Lester Young is playing against a pre-recorded track maybe diminishes this film a bit, but not much.

[operafantic]

This is a typical Jazz at the Philharmonic session from the early to mid 1950s, very swinging, a bit generic. Lester Young is my favorite saxophonist but this rather crowded setting wasn't the best way to hear him. Still, nice to have the document.

[kenjames64]

@operafantic I'd rather have similar footage of the mid-30s small-group recordings with Billie and Jo Jones and Teddy Wilson ;)

[ManagerGuy1]

Wow! The Prez is surrounded by greats! What a find! Thanks for putting this up..Swinging!

[drdo1988]

wow....thats buddy rich on drums, right?

[cameronroytaylor]

Hahahaaaaaha Go Lester Go. :)

[MrLittoral]

Wow, hendrix, ignorance is essentially not knowing something you really should.

[jimihendrix1967]

Dear Ella Fitzgerald play saxophone or something else, so you can't bullshit that beautiful music with your irritating voice.

[spoildn8410]

@glene37  I watch modern jazz videos a lot, and I had no idea. This is one I haven't heard yet,

but I don't know how many of the 40's musicians did that.

[brentifull]

@kenjames64 Flip Phillips, that's just great. Thanks for that, I love him. What tone, are the great 'Pres'

[jeffsvilleusa]

@glen37 My guess is that they were playing a real take, and then they went in the recording studio for the audio and just played the same solo order and length. I doubt they weren't actually playing in the video.

[fastborzoi]

a pantomime of this great recording is still worth seeing, thanks for posting!

[djjjamin]

Thx loads