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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Grand Piano Duets
Willie "The Lion" Smith, Don Ewell
Jazz - Released by Sackville on 1 jan. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Festival Jazz
Willie "The Lion" Smith, Jazz Festival All-Stars, Duke Ellington
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on 1 jan. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Legend of Willie the Lion Smith (Mono Version)
Jazz - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1950 - 1953
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 29 jun. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Memoirs of Willie "The Lion" Smith
Jazz - Released by MVE on 9 mrt. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Don't Forget Your Mother
Jazz - Released by Your Mother on 21 apr. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grand Piano
Willie "The Lion" Smith, Don Ewell
Ragtime - Released by Blue Pie Records USA on 1 jan. 1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Blues Run the Game
Folk - Released by Willie Smith on 10 feb. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Harry James Featuring Willie Smith
Jazz - Released by Jazz Hour on 1 dec. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Willie 'The Lion' Smith Selected Hits Vol. 1
Jazz - Released by Charly Records on 12 jun. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Willie 'The Lion' Smith Selected Hits Vol. 1
Jazz - Released by Charly Records on 12 jun. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Willie 'The Lion' Smith Selected Hits Vol. 4
Jazz - Released by Charly Records on 12 jun. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Complete Jazz Series 1944 - 1949
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 29 jun. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1937 - 1938
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 29 jun. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo