Home » Jazz Musicians » Willie "The Lion" Smith

Willie "The Lion" Smith

With his derby and cigar, along with his command of counterpoint and swing, Willie "The Lion" Smith was one of the jazz world's outsized characters. Bravery during World War I earned him his nickname; friendship and mutual admiration led to Duke Ellington's "Portrait of The Lion" and Smith's own "Portrait of Duke." William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff was born in Goshen, N.Y., on Nov. 25, 1897. Growing up in Newark, he began playing at age 6, drawn to the piano by his mother's playing in church. His father's Jewish ancestry later led to work as a cantor, he claimed, during the '40s. In 1916, Willie enlisted in the Army where he became the drum major for his unit. During World War I, he spent over a month on the front lines, where he earned his name "The Lion" for his bravery. After returning from the war, he established himself as one of Harlem's most illustrious stride piano players, familiar in the cutting contests with other pianists that went on after hours at speakeasies, or at rent parties. The Lion quickly became a mentor for younger musicians such as Duke Ellington, Bix Beiderbecke, Artie Shaw, and the Dorsey Brothers. They would often go up to Harlem and listen to Willie and play and ask for musical tips to better their skills. During the '20s he toured with singer Mamie Smith and played on her "Crazy Blues," but was generally unknown to the public until his Decca recordings of the mid '30s, when he recorded with a small band called Willie The Lion and his Cubs. But these sessions with a band are not as revealing of his mature style as the later Commodore sessions with their impressionistic rendering of a New York City park, "Echoes of Spring" and classical techniques heard in "Passionette." His solo recordings from 1939 are often reckoned to be his finest work, but he went on making discs well into the 1960s and beyond, some of them including his own spoken comments and repartee, as he demonstrated his playing at the keyboard. His fame spread when Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey performed arrangements of his compositions. Smith toured Europe in 1949 and again in the mid '60s; appeared in the film Jazz Dance in 1954 and wrote his memoirs, Music On My Mind in '65. Willie "The Lion" Smith lived through six decades of music and, despite the changes in musical styles over those years; he remained true to himself and his own style.

Read more

Tags

344
Album Review

Willie "The Lion" Smith & Don Ewell: Stride Piano Duets—Live in Toronto, 1966

Read "Stride Piano Duets—Live in Toronto, 1966" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza


Willie “The Lion" Smith was one of the great stride pianists whose style and approach were an inspiration to many. His ideas were fermented by a larger-than-life presence that he transfused into his playing. He also transmitted his unabashed exuberance to his audience. The power of his playing and his animation come to the fore on this recording with Don Ewell.

Ewell was a stride pianist in a class of his own. He may not be as well ...

221
Album Review

Willie "The Lion" Smith & Don Ewell: Stride Piano Duets. Live In Toronto 1966

Read "Stride Piano Duets. Live In Toronto 1966" reviewed by Nic Jones


The more time passes, the starker the light thrown on a release like this. This is a point that can't be emphasized enough when it comes to something like the stride piano style and Delmark deserves high praise indeed for putting in the work necessary to get this music out there.

Smith was arguably the greatest stride exponent, but it would be a little misleading to suggest that Ewell was a relative acolyte, especially in view of the fact that ...

Read more articles
105

Video / DVD

Willie "The Lion" Smith - "Ain't Misbehavin'/St. Louis Blues" (1966)

Willie "The Lion" Smith - "Ain't Misbehavin'/St. Louis Blues" (1966)

Source: Riffs on Jazz by John Anderson


Drew Nugent
multi-instrumentalist
Ron Davis
vocals

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Stride Piano Duets...

Enja Records
2008

buy

Stride Piano Duets....

Delmark Records
2008

buy

Stride Piano...

Delmark Records
2008

buy

Music On My Mind

Enja Records
2001

buy

Echoes Of Spring

Enja Records
1992

buy

Piano Solos

Enja Records
1989

buy

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.