Lester Young

The complete original LP Going for Myself reuniting Lester Young and Harry “Sweets” Edison, one Pres’ last studio albums ever.

Backing Pres and Sweets are superb musicians like Oscar Peterson, Louie Bellson and Herb Ellis.

Five extra tracks have been added to the contents of the original album, including three alternate takes and two tunes not included on the originally issued set.

Includes a comprehensive booklet.

1 FLIC 6:16
2 LOVE IS HERE TO STAY 5:53
3 ST. TROPEZ 10:05
4 WALDORF BLUES 8:19
5 SUNDAY 6:55
6 YOU’RE GETTING TO BE A HABIT WITH ME 5:20
7 BALLAD MEDLEY: A GHOST OF A CHANCE/ I COVER THE WATERFRONT 5:51*
8 PERDIDO 6:14*
9 ST. TROPEZ [alt. take] 6:55*
10 YOU’RE GETTING TO BE A HABIT WITH ME [alt. take] 7:43*
11 WALDORF BLUES [alt. take] 6:16*


LESTER YOUNG, tenor sax & clarinet (on 3 & 9) HARRY “SWEETS” EDISON, trumpet

On all tracks, plus:

1-3 & 7-9: Oscar Peterson (p), Herb Ellis (g), Ray Brown (b), Louie Bellson (d).
Hollywood, July 31, 1957.

4-6 & 10-11: Lou Stein (p), Herb Ellis (g), Ray Brown (b), Mickey Sheen (d).
New York, February 7, 1958.


*****Dowmbeat
“The star system of rating never seemed more useless to me than right now. Faced with this LP, it is agonizing to rate it. On the theory that Young is gone and anything he did is invaluable, it’s five stars.” (Ralph J. Gleason)


Lester Young’s final years weren’t easy. His poor health and alcoholism began to limit his talents and even his capacity to play. The sessions included here were two of his last studio dates ever. After the second one, he would only enter the studio on two other occasions: the following day, on February 8, 1958, with Harry Edison again, and with Roy Eldridge added (the results of this session were included on the posthumous album Laughin’ to Keep from Cryin’) and a year later, on March 2, 1959, in Paris, France. Lester would die one week later on March 15, 1959, at the age of 49. The original album contained six tunes (tracks 1-6 of our CD), but more material was recorded on the two sessions, including two new tunes that weren’t issued on Going for Myself (a nice ballad medley and a nearly complete version of “Perdido”) and four alternate takes. To complement our set, we have added the two aforementioned new tunes, and three of the existing alternates