Joy and pain
“Laughin’ to Keep From Cryin'” Lester Young, Roy Eldridge and Harry Edison Verve Records (1958) What a great candid shot of Eldridge and Young in a private, unguarded moment of comradery. The title says a lot for these brilliant musicians who suffered through segregation and humiliation their whole lives. Especially Young who as a sensitive young artist felt the heartbreaking brunt of racism in the army and never quite recovered. This lp is one of Young’s final recordings. The title is shared by a Langston Hughes novel from 1952.
(55 votes, average: 4.05 out of 5)
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December 12th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
His ‘sax’ needs some ice on the rocks perhaps?
December 14th, 2009 at 11:14 am
“…and not only THAT, you outta see what she did to him with that golf club!”
December 15th, 2009 at 10:54 am
What a beauty!
December 15th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
powerhouse musicians here…this Lp should leave one in awe…
December 16th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Right. Lester’s last days are usually painted a uniformly dark hue…nice to see him smiling and laughing at the end of his life…anybody know when this picture was taken?
December 19th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
This photo and the cover itself was the work of my late husband, Burt Goldblatt. It was taken backstage at Newport. I remember that were at a function with Roy Eldridge. After her and Burt greeted each other, Roy asked if Burt remembered what he and Lester were laughing about. Burt did not know. Roy said that many people asked him because it was rare to see him laughing.
This was one of Burts favorite photos.
December 20th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Thanks so much for your contribution Kathy! Your husbands LP cover photos and art direction are some of the highlights of our collection! We’ll post more in your honor shortly. Happy Holidays.
December 23rd, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Great photo. Bill Crow, the bassist, used this on the cover of his book, “Jazz Anecdotes”. Burt, Kathy, my wife Joan and I used to go tag saling, looking for Burts covers. I found a few that he did not remember. A great artist and a dear friend who is still missed by my wife and me.