Willie the Lion DVD 2001 A musical biography about jazz legend / Directed by Marc Fields, Narrated by Joe Morton / Shanachie

UPC 016351631794

REGION 2 PAL DVD 

MADE IN EU

AUDIO: English mono

Total Runtime: 57 minutes

English Summary:

Filled with over twenty songs and rare performance footage of Smith and Eubie Blake.

One of the creators of a new stomping piano style known as 'stride', William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff Smith (1897-1973) was a true American original: a captivating showman, a decorated First World War hero, a cantor in a Harlem synagogue, a teacher of young musicians such as Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, and a composer of over 100 songs including some of the most exquisite tunes in the jazz repertoire. His piano prowess and colourful personality made him a legend in Harlem. In the words of his protégé Duke Ellington, he was "beyond category". This 57 minute DVD features over 20 songs and rare performance footage of Smith and Eubie Blake and is rich in anecdotes and stories of the likes of Ellington, Monk, James P Johnson, Fats Waller and Jelly Roll Morton.

Willie the Lion brings to life one of the most brilliant and contradictory men of jazz. One of the creators of new stomping piano style known as "Harlem Stride", William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff Smith - a.k.a. "The Lion" - was a true American original: a captivating showman, a decorated war hero, a cantor in a Harlem synagogue, a teacher of young musicians like Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, and a composer of over a hundred songs including some of the most exquisite tunes in the jazz repertoire. His piano prowess and colorful personality made him a legend in Harlem. In the words of his protégé Duke Ellington, he was "beyond category."

Rich in anecdotes, insights into the Lion's distinctive musical style, and stories of jazz greats James P. Johnson, Eubie Blake, Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, Willie the Lion will be savored by anybody who loves jazz and the colorful characters who shaped it.

Scene Access:

1. Play program

2. Turn of the century Newark

3. The Coast (1905-1917)

4. The Line

5. The Clef Club

6. Enter the Lion

7. Harlem joys (1920-1930)

8. Parlor socials

9. Music on my mind (1930-1950)

10. Zig Zag

11. (Almost) Great Day in Harlem

12. Portrait of the Lion