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 29/06/2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1940 (Willie "The Lion" Smith)
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 29/06/2009
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The Very Best Of
Jazz - Editado por Master Classics Records el 1/04/2011
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Jazz Piano Master: Joja Wendt & Willie "The Lion" Smith
Willie „The Lion“ Smith, Joja Wendt
Jazz - Editado por History el 5/01/2000
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Willie "The Lion" Smith and His Jazz Cubs
Jazz - Editado por Jazzology el 2/11/2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Stride Piano Duets
Willie "The Lion" Smith, Don Ewell
Jazz - Editado por Delmark Records el 1/01/2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Legend Of Willie The Lion Smith
Jazz - Editado por CoolNote el 1/01/2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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100 Classic Recordings 1925-53
Jazz - Editado por ACROBAT el 1/07/2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1950
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 29/06/2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grand Piano Duets
Willie "The Lion" Smith, Don Ewell
Jazz - Editado por Sackville el 1/01/2017
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 1/01/2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1950 - 1953
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 29/06/2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Memoirs of Willie "The Lion" Smith
Jazz - Editado por Mve el 9/03/2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Harry James Featuring Willie Smith
Jazz - Editado por Jazz Hour el 1/12/2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Grand Piano
Willie "The Lion" Smith, Don Ewell
Ragtime - Editado por Blue Pie Records USA el 1/01/1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo