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Soundcheck

Monday, October 29, 2007
  • Lester Young (right) and his band play WNYC's American Music Festival, Feb. 15, 1941. (Harry Rubenstein)
    Lester Young (right) and his band play WNYC's American Music Festival, Feb. 15, 1941. (Harry Rubenstein)

    Prez: Beyond Billie and Basie

    Saxophonist Lester Young spent his early years in a traveling carnival and earned his chops in Kansas City dancehalls. Today on Soundcheck, we look at the life and music of jazz legend Lester Young. And later: Few New York bands have a Tony Award winner in their ranks. The jumpy, jittery folk-punk quartet Old Springs Pike talks about life on different stages and performs live in our studio. And later: a violist works with young Native American composers.

    The Soundcheck staff is in Berlin! Read about our adventures on a new blog, Soundcheck: On Site - Berlin.

    (Pssst ... Our weeklong Berlin series begins Nov. 5!)

The Life of Lester Young

Author Dave Gelly, jazz critic for The Observer, explains how a traveling carnival, Kansas City and a stint in military prison helped shape Lester Young, one of jazz music's giants. He is the author of "Being Prez: The Life and Music of Lester Young."

"Being Prez" on Amazon.com

Young Minds, New Ideas

A radio diary from Ralph Farris, viola player from the string quartet Ethel, on the challenges of working with young composers on a Native American reservation. This story was produced by WNYC's Beth Fertig.

Ralph Farris website
Ethel website

Old Springs Pike

Folk-punk quartet Old Springs Pike plays live in our studio, in advance of tonight's 11:30 p.m. performance at Joe's Pub.

Old Springs Pike website

The Swell Season in The Greene Space

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Joshua Bell in The Greene Space

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