Lester Young
Tenor Sax Solo on
Ad Lib Blues

About

Lester Young's tenor saxophone solo opens the improvised proceedings on "Ad Lib Blues," the first track from the 1952 session The President Plays with the Oscar Peterson Trio. Young takes seven choruses of blues in C at a driving 218 BPM, establishing an extended opening statement that showcases his signature relaxed, behind-the-beat phrasing even at this brisk tempo. As the first soloist on this collaborative blues, Young sets the conversational tone for the session, demonstrating the floating, melodically economical style that had influenced an entire generation of jazz musicians. He returns later in the track for a second, even longer solo after Peterson and Kessel have taken their turns.

Lester Young was 42 to 43 years old at the time.