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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Willie Smith: Alto Sax All-Time Great
Lounge - Released by Retrospective on 19 Jun 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Best of Willie "The Lion" Smith
Jazz - Released by Vintage Jukebox on 20 Mar 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Muskrat Ramble
Jazz - Released by Classic Records on 28 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Luckey & The Lion: Harlem Piano
Luckey Roberts, Willie "The Lion" Smith
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Who Want To
Jazz - Released by Sandmann & Walther on 29 Mar 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fishing For Compliments
Jazz - Released by Sandmann & Walther on 8 Mar 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Shrewd as a Fox
Jazz - Released by LST Collector Series on 19 Sep 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Riding Tunes
Willie "The Lion" Smith, His Cubs
Jazz - Released by Bertilo o Solemio on 21 Apr 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Soirée Willie "The Lion" Smith (Jeunesse du jazz - 05 janvier 1950)
Jazz - Released by Ina Archives on 15 Apr 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Willie 'The Lion' Smith Selected Hits Vol. 3 (Willie 'The Lion' Smith)
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 -
Swing Time - The Encyclopedia of Jazz, Vol. 49
Willie "The Lion" Smith, Alabama Jug Band
Jazz - Released by Documents on 9 Jan 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Willie 'The Lion' Smith's What Can I Do With A Foolish Little Girl Like You ?
Jazz - Released by Charly Records on 25 Jun 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Willie 'The Lion' Smith Selected Hits Vol. 3
Jazz - Released by Charly Records on 12 Jun 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Town Hall Concerts Five and Six (Live)
Eddie Condon, James P. Johnson, Willie "The Lion" Smith
Jazz - Released by Jazzology on 25 Apr 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Platinum Selection
Jazz - Released by Retro Music Box on 14 Jul 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo