Connie Lester

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Samuel Conrad "Connie" Lester (born June 12, 1931 in Roselle (New Jersey) ; † August 20, 2019 in Edison (New Jersey) ) was an American jazz musician ( tenor , alto and soprano saxophone , also piano , clarinet ) who was a veteran of the Newark jazz scene .

Live and act

Lester was mostly self-taught as a musician, but first learned the clarinet and saxophone during elementary school. His early role models included Lester Young and Charlie Parker . “Lester happened to show up at a time when Newark was full of jazz talent and well stocked with clubs like the Key Club and Sparky Js on the same stretch of Halsey Street. He was in his early twenties when he got his first gig at Lloyd's Manor , a bebop stronghold on Beacon Street. ”According to Barbara J. Kukla's History of Swing City: Newark Nightlife, 1925–50 , Lloyd’s was the venue for three jazz clubs . Modernists who inspired each other - James Moody , Babs Gonzales and Danford (Larue) Jordan. Of the three, Jordan made the greatest impression on young Lester.

Lester was active in the New Jersey state jazz scene ; first recordings were made in 1962 when he was involved in an album by the singer Joe Carroll , Man with a Happy Sound . Furthermore, he worked in the following years with musicians of the era, such as the pianist Ray Bryant and the guitarist Grant Green . According to Nate Chinen, he found “his strongest niche” with Hammond B-3 organists, including Larry Young and Rhoda Scott . He was also heard (as Conrad Lester ) on two Blue Note albums by the organist Freddie Roach ; on Mo 'Greens Please (1963), "Lester's rhythmic demeanor and bebop serenity become evident with every phrase he plays." Lester was also involved in Roach 's 1964 Blue Note album All That's Good .

When soul jazz changed to a more backbeat- oriented style in the 1970s , Lester played with organist Jimmy McGriff on the album Main Squeeze for Groove Merchant ; According to Chinen, this album “featured Lester with two of his favorite music partners, guitarist Jimmy Ponder and drummer Eddie Gladden . The balance between strength and elegance in Lester's sound ”is “ well captured ”in the version of Misty documented there .” According to Tom Lord , Lester was involved in five recording sessions between 1962 and 1974 in the field of jazz . Lester's ties to the Newark scene of his youth continued even as he served as mentor and veteran. He was a member of the Newark Jazz Elders , founded in 2002 by reporter and historian Guy Sterling.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Nate Chinen: Connie Lester, Soulful Saxophonist and Quiet Anchor of the Newark Jazz Scene, Dies at 88th WBGO, August 21, 2019, accessed on August 22, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Tom Lord: The Jazz Discography (online, accessed September 22, 2019)
personal data
SURNAME Lester, Connie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lester, Samuel Conrad
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician
DATE OF BIRTH June 12, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH Roselle (New Jersey)
DATE OF DEATH 20th August 2019
Place of death Edison (New Jersey)