Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It

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I was with Basie's band for a time, and Lester [Young] used to live at home with my mother and me. I named him "the President," and he named me "Lady" and my mother "Duchess." We were the Royal Family of Harlem.

Pres and Herschel Evans were forever thinking up ways of cutting the other one. You'd find them in band room hacking away at reeds, trying out all kinds of new ones, anything to get ahead of the other one. Once Herschel asked Lester, "Why don't you play alto, man? You got an alto tone." Lester tapped his head, "There's things going on up there, man," he told Herschel, "Some of you guys are all belly."

Normally I don't go in for those saxophone battles, but those cats really hated each other, and it kept them both blowing all the time. Of course Herschel had a big beautiful tone; Lester had less tone, but a whole lot of ideas.

Yes, he was President and I was Vice-President. I used to be crazy about his tenor playing, wouldn't make a record unless he was on it. He played music I like, didn't try to drown the singer. Teddy Wilson was the same, and trumpet player Buck Clayton.

excerpt from 'Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It' pp. 310 (207 words)

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