Lester Young - Compact Jazz: Lester Young & The Piano Giants (1988)

While it's best to check out Lester Young's prime late-'40s recordings first, this edition of Verve's Compact Jazz series does provide a sampling of those stellar sides, plus some often inconsistent latter-day work from the '50s. Of particular interest are the sessions Young cut with Nat King Cole ("I Want to Be Happy"), Hank Jones ("Up 'n' Adam"), and John Lewis ("September in the Rain"), which find the tenor innovator waxing svelte and lithe on a rich store of ballads and swing-issue romps. The later material with Oscar Peterson and Teddy Wilson, while good, is noticeably lacking in light of the prime stuff. Still, this budget sampler is a good way for newcomers to get familiar with one of true giants of jazz.