Lester Young – Le Dernier Message de Lester Young (LP, Sam Records)

A historical document! The last LP recorded by the ‘Prez’ with an additional 10″ LP containing his last studio track. 12″ LP: Recorded March 4, 1959 – Barclay Studio, Paris. Original LP issue: Barclay 84.069. In January 1959, Lester Young was in Paris for a series of concerts at the famous Blue Note Club. He plays with Rene Urtreger on piano, Kenny Clarke on drums, Jimmy Gourley on guitar and Jamil Nasser on bass. On March 4th, 1959, Eddie Barclay decides to record Lester at Studio Barclay – and this will be his last album. The legendary recording session is poignant and moving; it ranks with Coleman Hawkins “Sirius” and the last recording of Billie Holiday. Lester Young is physically exhausted, but the grace and genius are still there! Only a few days later, Lester Young, nicknamed “Prez”, The President, succumbed to a heart attack in New York.