Let's try this again. Last night all I wanted to do was post some Lester Young suggestions for Tom and Gene. I fought the forum software for about 15 minutes trying to get that done and then said to hell with it. It was taking more of my time than it was worth.
There are five CD packages that I can strongly recommend and another worth checking out if you are on a budget. These will net you most of Young's recordings with Count Basie (on Decca and Columbia) and then some small group sessions for Aladdin, Savoy, and Verve. This is some of the most important music in my jazz library.
This 3 CD set collects everything that Count Basie recorded for Decca from 1937 to 1939 with Lester Young as the featured Tenor soloist. Some of best tenor solos Young ever played are on this set and it should be considered required listening for any jazz fan.
Somewhat less important is this 4 CD boxed set of Count Basie's Columbia sides. Lester Young left the Basie band in 1940 so his playing is featured on the first of the four discs. The set is still worthwhile because the music is great throughout.
This 2 CD set issued by Blue Note collects everything that Young recorded for Aladdin. This set features some of Young's best recordings in a small group setting, in sessions between 1945 and 1947. I consider this a must own set.
This 2 CD package features Young's recordings for Savoy, mostly in 1944 (big bands), and from 1948 to 1949 in small groups Also required listening, though by the late 1940s Young was different kind of tenor player. Still great in my opinion, but not the same man that he was when he played in the Basie band. You can read his bios on Wikipedia and Allmusic for some perspective on changes to his playing in the post-Basie years.
Much has been said about how Young's tenor playing had gone into decline after his horrible experience in the Army. I don't agree with it. Young's playing in his later years was tempered and shaped by some rough times. His later playing was more emotionally dark. But I find it brilliant music none the less. This 8 CD box set containing all of Young's recordings for Norman Granz is now out of print, but if you manage to find a copy at a reasonable price I would recommend that you buy it. The recordings that Young did with Teddy Wilson and Harry Edison alone make the set worthwhile. On disc 8 there are some interviews of Young in the early 1940s and in the mid 1950s a few years before he died. The contrast is striking, from exuberance to bitterness.
If you are on a shoestring budget and want to get a taste of Young's brilliance in a variety of settings then give this 4 CD Proper Box a try. You can usually find it on Amazon for about $15. The sound quality is mostly pretty good for such a budget priced set.
--Jerome