Willie "The Lion" Smith - "Memoirs" - Pl

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Eyeball · #1 Post by **Eyeball** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 6:12 pm

http://www.amazon.com/Memoirs-Willie-Li ... 206&sr=1-4

Hell - this is out of print and Amazon is asking $129.00 for it.

Back in the 60s The Lion sat down at a piano with stride pianist/record producer Mike Lipskin there in the studio. The Lion played the Jazz and talked as Lipskin (his voice deleted from the recording) prompted him with questions.

Great stuff - once a 2 LP set on RCA, now a 2 CD set similar in concept, but not in scope, to the Jelly Roll Morton Library of Congress recordings - and those are a fantasy unlike any other.

Lars · #2 Post by **Lars** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 7:00 pm

I paid 7 bucks for it on eBay in 2007, I think I still have it on my back-up HD

AlekseyKosygin · #3 Post by **AlekseyKosygin** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:45 am

Why get 60's Willie when you can get 30's Willie???

This is the best quality 30's Willie the Lion CD out there...

http://www.amazon.com/Wille-Lion-Smith- ... 799&sr=8-3

And while you're at it go watch some video...the peeps at NJN made this...a MUST have...

http://www.njn.net/artsculture/williethelion/

Eyeball · #4 Post by **Eyeball** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:49 am

AlekseyKosygin wrote:Why get 60's Willie when you can get 30's Willie???

Because not only do you get to hear him play, but you get to hear him talk about his life, his music and all the Jazz men he knew and worked with.....including his first encounter with Fats Waller. And most of the time. he's playing while he is speaking.

Very Morton-esque.

It's good stuff!

AlekseyKosygin · #5 Post by **AlekseyKosygin** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:48 pm

I agree it's all good but I was just saying that I'd rather hear him in his prime is all and that CD I provided a link for has been Davied up...BTW if you want to read about his life there is a great autobiography of his like called MUSIC ON MY MIND, one of the best books on Jazz I've ever read...

CafeSavoy · #6 Post by **CafeSavoy** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 12:11 pm

Eyeball wrote:
AlekseyKosygin wrote:Why get 60's Willie when you can get 30's Willie???
Because not only do you get to hear him play, but you get to hear him talk about his life, his music and all the Jazz men he knew and worked with.....including his first encounter with Fats Waller. And most of the time. he's playing while he is speaking.

Very Morton-esque.

It's good stuff!

Thanks for the links. I know my collection is light on 'The Lion' and look forward to getting all three. I have some of those old tracks but would love better mastered versions. Also lately I've been getting into listening to people telling their stories in their own words. So the video is really interesting too, since i've found that you get a different impression of a recording when you can observe the musicians.

Eyeball · #7 Post by **Eyeball** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 12:21 pm

AlekseyKosygin wrote:I agree it's all good but I was just saying that I'd rather hear him in his prime is all and that CD I provided a link for has been Davied up...BTW if you want to read about his life there is a great autobiography of his like called MUSIC ON MY MIND, one of the best books on Jazz I've ever read...

The message is - you can do both.
You don't have to choose one over the other.
That's all I am trying to say.

Eyeball · #8 Post by **Eyeball** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 12:25 pm

AlekseyKosygin wrote:
http://www.njn.net/artsculture/williethelion/

There sample video on that site? Ummm..where? Thx!

AlekseyKosygin · #9 Post by **AlekseyKosygin** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:57 am

Eyeball wrote:
AlekseyKosygin wrote:
http://www.njn.net/artsculture/williethelion/
There sample video on that site? Ummm..where? Thx!

Not via that link...I would just order the DVD...

CafeSavoy · #10 Post by **CafeSavoy** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:39 pm

It appears that the movie is available on NetFlix.