Lester Young Lester Young artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music

Lester Young

Rather than holding his saxophone vertically, Lester Young held it high and to the right at a 45-degree angle. Herman Leonard/Getty Images hide caption

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Herman Leonard/Getty Images

Lester Young gave Billie Holiday her nickname: "Lady Day." William P. Gottlieb/Library of Congress via flickr.com hide caption

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William P. Gottlieb/Library of Congress via flickr.com