1 option
Lester Young on the South Bank Show.
- Format:
- Video
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Biography.
- Jazz.
- United States and Canada.
- Musical instruments.
- Biographies.
- Musicians.
- Jazz music.
- Music works.
- Artists.
- Young, Lester,.
- Local Subjects:
- Biography.
- Jazz.
- United States and Canada.
- Musical instruments.
- Biographies.
- Musicians.
- Jazz music.
- Music works.
- Artists.
- Young, Lester,.
- Genre:
- Documentary
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (53 minutes)
- Place of Publication:
- Paris, Ile-de-France : Qwest TV, 1985.
- Language Note:
- In English.
- Original language in English.
- System Details:
- video file
- Summary:
- Captured in 1985 on the South Banks Show, Prez: A New Jazz Opera is an innovative concept for contemporary improvisers to champion the tenor jazz titan Lester Young. It’s a documentary by John Jeremy that focuses on the premiere of the exhilarating opera performed with six instrumentalists and five improvising vocalists. The film teems with archival film clips, interviews with friends, and photos of Young’s history from his early days with Fletcher Henderson and Count Basie, through him being drafted into the Army, to his connection to Billie Holiday (who graced him with the nickname Pres or Prez) to get to know the man behind the music. The opera combined a libretto based on Young’s career as well as music that is based on his solo riffs. A history document in many ways, the floating, lyrical music of the tenor saxophonist factors strongly. In the creating of Prez, a refreshed view of one of the fathers of bebop is given new life. Dan Ouellette
- Notes:
- Title from resource description page (viewed July 15, 2024).
The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.