In December of ’57, Lester appeared on the CBS program The Sound of Jazz with Lady Day, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Vic Dickenson (trombone), Ben Webster (tenor sax), Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax) where they performed “Fine and Mellow” featuring one of the most beautiful solos Prez ever played. Although he is standing when he solos, Young was actually seated throughout the rest of the performance as he was quite ill, drinking more than ever and not eating. His liver was shot. Billie’s health wasn’t the greatest either but she also gives a marvelous performance.
Fine And Mellow Billie Holiday With Coleman Hawkins Lester Young Ben Webster Gerry Mulligan Vic Dickenson Roy Eldridge - YouTube
Lester didn’t slow down much though. He still had music in him. In this 1958 jazz all-star clip, Lester and Hawk are still playing together and Lester shows himself in top form. He had to know he was dying but seemed determined to go playing his heart out rather than sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch reminiscing about the good ol’ days.
Lester Young &Coleman Hawkins 1958 - YouTube
In 1959, Lester recorded his final sessions in Paris with Kenny Clarke (drummer of the Modern Jazz Quartet). His health was severely in decline. Upon returning to New York on March 15, 1959, Prez fell ill and died at the age of 49. By then, Lester was so well regarded in the jazz world that he was universally mourned. He had been a tremendous influence on three jazz sub-genres—swing, bop and cool, the last one being a direct outgrowth of his approach to jazz and never would have existed without him. His influence was so huge that he is second only to Louis Armstrong in that category. In some ways, his influence was even larger. The beats copied his manner of dress and speech which spilled over into the hippie movement and has affected the very way Americans today speak. There is not a sax player alive today who has not been fundamentally affected by Lester Young—everyone from Dexter Gordon to Don Byron to Joe Lovano.
A few months after Lester’s death, Charles Mingus composed “Goodbye to a Porkpie Hat” and Wayne Shorter (of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers) wrote “Lester Left Town.” A definite hole was opened in jazz upon his death because Lester continued to be vital to the jazz world to the end. Lester’s music didn’t give out, his body did. The music still has yet to stop. When Lester checked out, he checked out on top of the world.
After his funeral service, Leonard Feather escorted 44-year-old Billie Holiday back to her place in a cab. She told him, “I’ll be the next one to go.” Four months later, she did.