Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 - March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most influential players on his instrument. In contrast to many of his hard-driving peers, Young played with a relaxed, cool tone and used sophisticated harmonies, using what one critic called "a free-floating style, wheeling and diving like a gull, banking with low, funky riffs that pleased dancers and listeners alike". Known for his hip, introverted style, he invented or popularized much of the hipster jargon which came to be associated with the music.

Young left the Basie band in late 1940. He is rumored to have refused to play with the band on Friday, December 13 of that year for superstitious reasons spurring his dismissal, although Young and drummer Jo Jones would later state that his departure had been in the works for months. He subsequently led a number of small groups that often included his brother, drummer Lee Young, for the next couple of years; live and broadcast recordings from this period exist.  During this period Young accompanied the singer Billie Holiday in a couple of studio sessions (during 1937 - 1941 period) and also made a small set of recordings with Nat "King" Cole (their first of several collaborations) in June 1942. His studio recordings are relatively sparse during the 1942 to 1943 period, largely due to the recording ban by the American Federation of Musicians. Small record labels not bound by union contracts continued to record and he recorded some sessions for Harry Lim's Keynote label in 1943.  In December 1943 Young returned to the Basie fold for a 10-month stint, cut short by his being drafted into the army during World War II (see below). Recordings made during this and subsequent periods suggest Young was beginning to make much greater use of a plastic reed, which tended to give his playing a somewhat heavier, breathier tone (although still quite smooth compared to that of many other players). While he never abandoned the cane reed, he used the plastic reed a significant share of the time from 1943 until the end of his life. Another cause for the thickening of his tone around this time was a change in saxophone mouthpiece from a metal Otto Link to an ebonite Brilhart. In August 1944 Young appeared alongside drummer Jo Jones, trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, and fellow tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet in Gjon Mili's short film Jammin' the Blues. CANNOTANSWER

How did he react to his dismissal?
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Lester Willis Young (27 augusti 1909 - 15 mars 1959), med smeknamnet "Pres" eller "Prez", var en amerikansk jazztenorsaxofonist och enstaka klarinettist. När Young kom till bemärkthet medan han var medlem i Count Basies orkester var han en av de mest inflytelserika spelarna på sitt instrument. I motsats till många av sina hårt drivande kamrater spelade Young med en avslappnad, cool ton och använde sofistikerade harmonier, med hjälp av vad en kritiker kallade "en friflytande stil, wheeling och dykning som en mås, banking med låga, funkiga riff som behagade dansare och lyssnare lika". Känd för sin höft, inåtvända stil, uppfann eller populariserade han mycket av hipsterjargongen som kom att förknippas med musiken. Young lämnade Basiebandet i slutet av 1940. Han ryktas ha vägrat spela med bandet fredagen den 13 december det året av vidskepliga skäl som sporrar hans avskedande, även om Young och trummisen Jo Jones senare skulle uppge att hans avresa hade varit i bruk i månader. Han ledde därefter ett antal små grupper som ofta inkluderade hans bror, trummisen Lee Young, under de kommande åren; live- och sändningsinspelningar från denna period finns. Under denna period ackompanjerade Young sångaren Billie Holiday i ett par studiosessioner (under 1937 - 1941 års period) och gjorde även en liten uppsättning inspelningar med Nat "King" Cole (deras första av flera samarbeten) i juni 1942. Hans studioinspelningar är relativt glesa under perioden 1942–1943, till stor del på grund av inspelningsförbudet från American Federation of Musicians. Små skivbolag som inte var bundna av fackliga kontrakt fortsatte att spela in och han spelade in några sessioner för Harry Lims Keynote-bolag 1943. I december 1943 återvände Young till Basievecket för en 10-månaders stint, avkortad av att han blev inkallad i armén under andra världskriget (se nedan). Inspelningar som gjordes under denna och efterföljande perioder tyder på att Young började göra mycket större nytta av en plaströr, vilket tenderade att ge hans spelande en något tyngre, andas mer ton (även om det fortfarande är ganska smidigt jämfört med många andra spelare). Samtidigt som han aldrig övergav käpprören använde han plaströren en betydande del av tiden från 1943 till slutet av sitt liv. En annan orsak till förtjockningen av hans ton kring denna tid var en förändring i saxofonmunstycke från en metall Otto Link till en ebonit Brilhart. I augusti 1944 framträdde Young vid sidan av trummisen Jo Jones, trumpetaren Harry "Sweets" Edison, och andre tenorsaxofonisten Illinois Jacquet i Gjon Milis kortfilm Jammin' the Blues. CANNOTANSWER Hur reagerade han på sitt avskedande?
Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 - March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. When Young came to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, he was one of the most influential players on his instrument. In contrast to many of his hard-driving comrades, Young played with a relaxed, cool tone and used sophisticated harmonies, using what one critic called "a free-floating style, wheeling and diving like a gull, banking with low, funky riffs that pleased dancers and listeners alike". Known for his hip, introverted style, he invented or popularized much of the hipster jargon that came to be associated with the music. Young left the Basie band in late 1940. He is rumored to have refused to play with the band on Friday 13 December that year for superstitious reasons that spur his dismissal, although Young and drummer Jo Jones would later state that his departure had been in use for months. He subsequently led a number of small groups that often included his brother, drummer Lee Young, in the coming years; live and broadcast recordings from this period exist. During this period, Young accompanied singer Billie Holiday in a couple of studio sessions (during the 1937 - 1941 period) and also made a small set of recordings with Nat "King" Cole (their first of several collaborations) in June 1942. His studio recordings are relatively sparse during the period 1942–1943, largely due to the recording ban by the American Federation of Musicians. Small record labels that were not bound by union contracts continued to record and he recorded some sessions for Harry Lim's Keynote label in 1943. In December 1943 Young returned to Basievecket for a 10-month stint, shortened by being drafted into the army during World War II (see below). Recordings made during this and subsequent periods suggest that Young began to make much more use of a plastic tube, tending to give his playing a slightly heavier, breathing more tone (although it is still quite smooth compared to many other players). While never abandoning the cane tubes, he used the plastic tubes a significant portion of the time from 1943 to the end of his life. Another reason for the thickening of his tone around this time was a change in saxophone nozzle from a metal Otto Link to an ebonite Brilhart. In August 1944, Young appeared alongside drummer Jo Jones, trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, and second tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet in Gjon Milis short film Jammin' the Blues. How did he react to his dismissal?
CANNOTANSWER
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