Lee Young ( Eng. Lee Young ; July 3, 1914 , New Orleans , Louisiana , USA - July 31, 2008 , Los Angeles , California , USA ) - American jazz drummer, younger brother of the legendary tenor saxophonist and clarinet player Lester Young .
| Lee Young Lee young | |
|---|---|
 Lee Young in Los Angeles, 1941 | |
| basic information | |
| Full name | Lee young |
| Date of Birth | March 7, 1914 |
| Place of Birth | New Orleans , Louisiana , USA |
| Date of death | July 31, 2008 (aged 94) |
| Place of death | Los Angeles , California , USA |
| A country | USA |
| Professions | drummer |
| Instruments | |
| Genres | jazz swing |
Early years
Lee Young's father was a music teacher. From an early age, he taught children to play various instruments. Lee has been different from his older brother since childhood. Lester could spend hours playing the saxophone, while Lee preferred playing ball on the street. When the family settled in Los Angeles during the Great Depression , the father sent children to unusual dance carnivals. At that time, Lee often played drums, switching to them from the trombone, and Lester finally decided to focus on the saxophone.
Life and career
The first team of Lee Young was the orchestra of Matt Carey , a trumpeter and band leader , who began his musical activity in New Orleans. In addition, Young toured with vocalist Ethel Waters . In the recording, he first took part in 23 years, as the drummer of Fats Waller . In 1937, on a tennis court, he met the young Norman Granz , with whom they later organized the Jazz at the Philharmonic . The group, among other musicians, included guitarist Les Paul , trombone player J.J. Johnson , saxophonists Jean-Baptiste Illina Jacques and Lester Young . The musicians collaborated with such prominent musicians as Lionel Hampton and Billy Holiday . Among the celebrities with whom Lee Young had a chance to play, there are also Nat "King" Cole (since 1953, in the trio), Les Hight , Benny Goodman , County Basie , Duke Ellington . According to jazz historian Phil Shaap, Young took part “literally in thousands of records” [1] . Among other things, the musician was one of the first to combine black and white musicians in jazz compositions at a time when such an act was still very unusual and bold.
Lee Young became known not only as a jazz performer, but also as a music producer. In particular, it was he who opened the fusion group Steely Dan and produced various recordings for the labels Vee-Jay, Motown and ABC / Dunhill Records. In addition, he taught actor Mickey Rooney to play percussion instruments for the next film. Young was the first (and for several years to be the only) African American to work as a permanent studio musician in Hollywood [1] .
An interview with Lee Young was featured in Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz in Los Angeles (1999). “ I just liked playing a lot ,” Lee says. - I came to various clubs and told the guys performing there that if they want to relax one night, then I can replace them. So I had the opportunity to play all kinds of music because I let those guys go . [2]
Unlike his older brother, who brought the body to destruction by alcohol and died in 1959, Lee Young was a staunch teetotaler [1] . He lived a long life and died in Los Angeles on July 31, 2008, at the age of 94. His sister Irma passed away in 1993.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Obituary at nytimes.com . Archived on April 1, 2012.
- ↑ Marl Young; Bryant, Clora; Buddy Collete; Green, William A .; Isoardi, Steven Louis; Jack Kelson; Tapscott, Horace; Wilson, Gerald Henry. Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz in Los Angeles (Roth Family Foundation Book in American Music) . - Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999 .-- P. 51. - ISBN 0-520-22098-6 .