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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Man At His Leisure
Jazz - Erschienen bei classics & more am 31.07.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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In Other Spheres
Jazz - Erschienen bei Sandmann & Walther am 15.03.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Lp Library
Jazz - Erschienen bei old library records am 17.01.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hip Around
Jazz - Erschienen bei LST Collector Series am 19.09.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cozy Like A Bear
Jazz - Erschienen bei LST Collector Series am 19.09.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Willie 'The Lion' Smith Selected Hits Vol. 2
Jazz - Erschienen bei Charly Records am 12.06.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Willie 'The Lion' Smith Selected Hits Vol. 2 (Willie 'The Lion' Smith)
Jazz - Erschienen bei Charly Records am 12.06.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Swing Time, 1934-37 (Hq remastered 2023)
Jazz - Erschienen bei Vintage Recordings am 20.02.2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Flapping Wings
Jazz - Erschienen bei Wings in Hell am 02.12.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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1st Annual Connecticut Jazz Festival (Hq remastered)
Duke Ellington, Willie "The Lion" Smith
Jazz - Erschienen bei Vintage Recordings am 30.07.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Turn On The Knobs
Jazz - Erschienen bei Belle Wood am 11.09.2017
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Super Bright Hits
Jazz - Erschienen bei cappo digital am 06.05.2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hits To Have A Night Out
Jazz - Erschienen bei cappo digital am 14.04.2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo