Lester Young
Tenor Sax Solo on
Confessin'

About

Lester Young's tenor saxophone solo is the sole improvisation on this ballad reading of "Confessin'" from The President Plays with the Oscar Peterson Trio. Young takes one chorus over the 32-bar AABA form in A-flat at a gentle 80 BPM, delivering an intimate melodic statement on Doc Daugherty and Ellis Reynolds's 1930 standard. The ballad tempo provides ample space for Young's breathy, vocal-like tone and his distinctive rhythmic approach, which places notes with a casualness that belies their precision. This is one of several tracks on the session where Young is the sole improviser, allowing full focus on his lyrical sensibility.

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