That night [at the Five Spot club, New York, 1958] Lester [Young] was playing for a small but dedicated audience of about thirty or forty people… To me he was more than special; to me he was one of the greatest tenor saxophonists ever. He was my initial experience in a lifelong love affair with jazz. He came out of the darkness, dressed in a long black coat, a buffer against the chilling October air, his pork-pie hat settled squarely upon his head, his saxophone resting easily in its black leather case nestled under his arm… [B]oth backstage and on the bandstand, Lester was smooth, relaxed, and accessible… Prez played beautifully, sometimes haltingly, never sloppy. He was in the present, teasing his fellow musicians, leaping over their musical lines, pushing them sometimes beyond their musical limits; the always respectfully attentive audience witnessed his musical thoughts and journeys and shared a deep appreciation of the man and his music... The experience changed my life… I had never heard a jazz musician up close like that. I just felt I was not in that room, but somewhere else. I could feel it in my chest--my own awe-inspiring, life-changing moment. << less