“In those days before hearing Charlie Parker and Dizzy, and before learning of the so-called bebop era--by the way, I have some thoughts about that word, "bebop"--my first jazz hero ever, jazz improvisor hero, was Lester Young. I was a big "Lester Young-oholic," and all of my buddies were Lester Young-oholics. We'd get together and dissect, analyze, discuss, and listen to Lester Young's solos for hours and hours and hours. He was our god.”
![“We were all influenced by Lester [Young]. Listen to the…” quote by Zoot Sims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/41e/zoot-sims-53334_daddy_we-were-all-influenced-by-lester-young-l_553098.jpg)
![“[Bebop is] Chinese music.…” quote by Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/128/louis-armstrong-7258_bebop_bebop-is-chinese-music-155806_155806.jpg)
