Willie "The Lion" Smith
Willie "The Lion" Smith in the 1920s was considered one of the big three of stride piano (along with James P. Johnson and Fats Waller) even though he made almost no recordings until the mid-'30s. His mother was an organist and pianist, and Smith started playing piano when he was six. He earned a living playing piano as a teenager, gained his nickname "the Lion" for his heroism in World War I, and after his discharge he became one of the star attractions at Harlem's nightly rent parties. Although he toured with Mamie Smith (and played piano on her pioneering 1920 blues record "Crazy Blues"), Smith mostly freelanced throughout his life. He was an influence on the young Duke Ellington (who would later write "Portrait of the Lion") and most younger New York-based pianists of the 1920s and '30s. Although he was a braggart and (with his cigar and trademark derby hat) appeared to be a rough character, Smith was actually more colorful than menacing and a very sophisticated pianist with a light touch. His recordings with his Cubs (starting in 1935) and particularly his 1939 piano solos for Commodore (highlighted by "Echoes of Spring") cemented his place in history. Because he remained very active into the early '70s (writing his memoirs Music on My Mind in 1965), for quite a few decades Willie "the Lion" Smith was considered a living link to the glory days of early jazz.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
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Complete Jazz Series 1925 - 1937
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 29 jun. 2009
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The Very Best Of
Jazz - Editado por Master Classics Records el 1 abr. 2011
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Jazz Piano Master: Joja Wendt & Willie "The Lion" Smith
Willie „The Lion“ Smith, Joja Wendt
Jazz - Editado por History el 5 ene. 2000
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Willie "The Lion" Smith and His Jazz Cubs
Jazz - Editado por Jazzology el 2 nov. 2015
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Rich And Rugged
Jazz - Editado por Sandmann & Walther el 23 mar. 2016
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Stride Piano Duets
Willie "The Lion" Smith, Don Ewell
Jazz - Editado por Delmark Records el 1 ene. 2008
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Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1940 (Willie "The Lion" Smith)
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 29 jun. 2009
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The Legend Of Willie The Lion Smith
Jazz - Editado por CoolNote el 1 ene. 2000
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Music On My Mind
Jazz - Editado por Universal Music Division Decca Records France el 1 ene. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
100 Classic Recordings 1925-53
Jazz - Editado por ACROBAT el 1 jul. 2022
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Complete Jazz Series 1950
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 29 jun. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grand Piano Duets
Willie "The Lion" Smith, Don Ewell
Jazz - Editado por Sackville el 1 ene. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Festival Jazz
Willie "The Lion" Smith, Jazz Festival All-Stars, Duke Ellington
Jazz - Editado por CoolNote el 1 ene. 2000
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Complete Jazz Series 1950 - 1953
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 29 jun. 2009
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Don't Forget Your Mother
Jazz - Editado por Your Mother el 21 abr. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo