Lester Koenig

A very good friend of jazz, Lester Koenig was the founder and head of Contemporary Records. The company he started in 1951 was, along with Pacific Jazz, one of the top L.A.-based jazz labels active during the cool era. A large number of Contemporary's releases became classics, including numerous sets by Shorty Rogers, Shelly Manne, Art Pepper, Hampton Hawes, Chet Baker, the Lighthouse All-Stars, ...more