Anna Yatskevich / Courtesy of Newvelle Records
Public acknowledgment took its time finding Billy Lester. A pianist devoted to searching for a new form of modern jazz, he spent more than half a century on the outskirts of New York City, quietly honing his craft. I just figured I d go to my grave without any kind of recognition, he says plainly, and I was at the point in my life where I totally accepted that.
The situation changed only a few years ago when Lester was in his early 70s. A chance encounter led to an acclaimed album on the boutique Newvelle record label, which he made with the impeccable rhythm team of Rufus Reid on bass and Matt Wilson on drums. And in the fall of 2019, this trio played two sets to a packed house at the Jazz Standard Lester s long-overdue debut in a New York City jazz club, and an absolute triumph at that.