Willie Smith - Willie the Lion

Willie the Lion brings to life one of the most brilliant and contradictory men of jazz. One of the creators of a new stomping piano style known as "Harlem Stride," Willie "The Lion" Smith 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.