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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Live Zurich, Switzerland (Live)
Ragtime - Pubblicato da Storyville il 20 ago 2004
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Complete Jazz Series 1925 - 1937
Jazz - Pubblicato da Complete Jazz Series il 29 giu 2009
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The Very Best Of
Jazz - Pubblicato da Master Classics Records il 1 apr 2011
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Dr. Jazz, Vol. 9
Dixieland - Pubblicato da Storyville il 20 ago 1995
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Jazz Piano Master: Joja Wendt & Willie "The Lion" Smith
Willie „The Lion“ Smith, Joja Wendt
Jazz - Pubblicato da History il 5 gen 2000
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Willie "The Lion" Smith and His Jazz Cubs
Jazz - Pubblicato da Jazzology il 2 nov 2015
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Rich And Rugged
Jazz - Pubblicato da Sandmann & Walther il 23 mar 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Stride Piano Duets
Willie "The Lion" Smith, Don Ewell
Jazz - Pubblicato da Delmark Records il 1 gen 2008
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Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1940 (Willie "The Lion" Smith)
Jazz - Pubblicato da Complete Jazz Series il 29 giu 2009
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Willie “The Lion” Smith 1934-37
Jazz - Pubblicato da Documents il 1 set 2009
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The Legend Of Willie The Lion Smith
Jazz - Pubblicato da CoolNote il 1 gen 2000
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Music On My Mind
Jazz - Pubblicato da Universal Music Division Decca Records France il 1 gen 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
100 Classic Recordings 1925-53
Jazz - Pubblicato da ACROBAT il 1 lug 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1950
Jazz - Pubblicato da Complete Jazz Series il 29 giu 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grand Piano Duets
Willie "The Lion" Smith, Don Ewell
Jazz - Pubblicato da Sackville il 1 gen 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo