Today is the birthday of Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. He is best known as the President of Jazz or simply The Prez and for his incredible solos.“The trouble with most musicians today is that they are copycats. Of course you have to start out playing like someone else. You have a model, or a teacher, and you learn all that he can show you. But then you start playing for yourself. Show them that you're an individual. And I can count those who are doing that today on the fingers of one hand.” - Lester Young
“Originality's the thing. You can have tone and technique and a lot of other things but without originality you ain't really nowhere. Gotta be original.” - Lester Young
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