Webster Young

Who was Webster Young?

Webster English Young was a United States jazz trumpeter and cornetist.

Born in Columbia, South Carolina and raised in Washington, D.C., Young was noted for his lyrical playing, and performed with John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Hampton Hawes, Jackie McLean, and Ike and Tina Turner, among others. He recorded only sparingly; his principal album as a leader, For Lady, was mainly dedicated to tunes associated with Billie Holiday.

In the late-1950s, at the suggestion of Miles Davis, Webster Young moved to New York City, where he began performing with musicians such as Lester Young and Bud Powell. During the mid-1960s, Young returned to Washington, D.C., where he became an educator, teaching music theory at the University of the District of Columbia; he was also director of the District of Columbia Music Center jazz workshop band.

Webster Young died on December 13, 2003 from brain cancer in Vancouver, Washington.