Jazz Me Prez

Lester Young was the Prez (a nickname given by Billie Holiday) of ballad. His rendition of “Love Me or Leave Me” is a perfect demonstration of how a standard should be covered. He takes the basic structure and improvises on it. Vietnamese musicians should take cues from Prez the next time they want to jazz up a Trinh Cong Son’s composition. As for the sax style, Prez had a cool and almost vibratoless sound. With his feathery tone, superb phrasing, and breathless-flowing lines, Prez inspired numerous musicians, including modernist Charlie Parker.