Arguably the most influential pianist in jazz history, simply because he was a big influence on the generation that included Duke Ellington and Fats Waller (among others), who then went on to influence everyone who followed them. But Willie did not really record until the 1930s, apparently content before that to make a living as a live performer in New York. Combining commanding technique with an encyclopedic knowledge of early twentieth-century popular song (not to mention an engaging personality), from the thirties until his death in 1973 he performed all over the world.
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