Lou Levy (pianist)

Lou Levy
Stan Getz & Lou Levy (Amsterdam, 1959)
Background information
Birth name	Louis A. Levy
Born	March 5, 1928 Chicago, Illinois United States
Died	January 23, 2001 (aged 72) Dana Point, California United States
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Piano

Louis A. "Lou" Levy (March 5, 1928 – January 23, 2001) was a bebop-based pianist who worked with many top jazz artists, later coming to embrace the cool jazz medium and playing in that style as well (though never quite shedding the influence of Bud Powell).

Biography

Levy was born to Jewish parents in Chicago and started playing piano when he was twelve. His chief influences were Art Tatum and Bud Powell.

A professional at age nineteen, Levy played with Georgie Auld (1947 and later), Sarah Vaughan, Chubby Jackson (1947–1948), Boyd Raeburn, Woody Herman's Second Herd (1948–1950), Tommy Dorsey (1950) and Flip Phillips. Levy left music for a few years in the early fifties and then returned to gain a strong reputation as an accompanist to singers, working with Peggy Lee (1955–1973), Ella Fitzgerald (1957–1962), June Christy, Anita O'Day and Pinky Winters. Levy also played with Dizzy Gillespie, Shorty Rogers, Stan Getz, Terry Gibbs, Benny Goodman, Supersax and most of the major West Coast players. Levy recorded as a leader for Nocturne (1954), RCA, Jubilee, Philips, Interplay(1977), and Verve.

Levy died of a heart attack in Dana Point, California at the age of 72.^[1]

Selected discography

As leader

• The Lou Levy Trio (Jazz in Hollywood Series) (Nocturne, 1954; rerel. on Fresh Sound, 1988)
• West Coast Wailers with Conte Candoli (Atlantic, 1955)
• Introducing Jane Fielding (Jazz:West,1955)
• Jazz in Four Colors (RCA Victor, 1956)
• A Most Musical Fella (RCA Victor, 1957)
• Solo Scene (1956)
• Piano Playhouse (1957)
• Plays Baby Grand Jazz (Jubilee, 1959)
• A Touch of Class (1970s)
• Tempus Fugue-It (Interplay, 1977)
• The Kid's Got Ears! (1982)
• Lunacy (1992)
• Ya Know (1993)
• By Myself (1995)

As sideman

Albums listed alphabetically by group or artist's last name.

Date	Artist	Album title	Label	Notes
1957	Manny Albam	The Jazz Greats of Our Time – Vol. 2	Coral
1957	Manny Albam	West Coast Delivery – Jazz Lab Vol. 12	Coral
1963	Georgie Auld Quintet	The Georgie Auld Quintet Plays the Winners	Philips
1963	Georgie Auld Sextet	Here's to the Losers	Philips
1962	Louis Bellson	Big Band Jazz from the Summit	Roulette
1966	Tony Bennett	The Movie Song Album	Columbia	Levy on three tracks
1956	Elmer Bernstein	The Man with the Golden Arm	Decca
1997	Dee Dee Bridgewater	Dear Ella	Verve
1978	Ruth Brown	You Don't Know Me	Dobre
1955	Conte Candoli	Conte Candoli	Bethlehem
1976	Pete Christlieb / Warne Marsh	Apogee	Warner
1976	Pete Christlieb	Self Portrait	Bosco	With Warne Marsh
1977	June Christy	Impromptu	Discovery	Supervised by Bob Cooper
1981	Al Cohn	Nonpareil	Concord Jazz	Released in 1992
1958	Bob Cooper	Coop! The Music of Bob Cooper	Contemporary
1991	Bob Cooper Quartet	For All We Know	Fresh Sound
1959	Herb Ellis w/ Jimmy Giuffre	Herb Ellis Meets Jimmy Giuffre	Verve
1963	Herb Ellis w/ Stuff Smith	Together	Epic
1989	Art Farmer	Central Avenue Reunion	Contemporary
1958	Ella Fitzgerald	Ella in Rome: The Birthday Concert	Verve	Released in 1988
1958	Ella Fitzgerald	Ella Swings Lightly	Verve
1959	Ella Fitzgerald	Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook	Verve
1959	Ella Fitzgerald	Get Happy!	Verve
1961	Ella Fitzgerald	Ella in Hollywood	Verve
1961	Ella Fitzgerald	Ella Returns to Berlin	Verve
1961	Ella Fitzgerald	Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!	Verve
1957	Herb Geller	Fire in the West	Jubilee
1955	Stan Getz, Shelly Manne, Leroy Vinnegar, Conte Candoli	West Coast Jazz	Norgran/Verve
1957	Stan Getz Quartet	The Soft Swing	Verve	Released 1959. Levy on four tracks
1957	Stan Getz	The Steamer	Verve
1957	Stan Getz	And the "Cool" Sounds	Verve
1958	Stan Getz	The Great English Concert 1958	Jazz Groove	Six (of eleven) tracks with Getz (others feat. Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge with nearly the same rhythm section)
1959	Stan Getz	Award Winner	Verve
1959	Stan Getz	Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan / Stan Getz and The Oscar Peterson Trio	Verve	Levy on the two track with Mulligan (see also Gerry Mulligan)
1981	Stan Getz	The Dolphin	Concord Jazz
1981	Stan Getz Quartet	Spring Is Here	Concord Jazz	Released in 1992
1957	Terry Gibbs and Bill Harris	Woodchoppers' Ball	Premier Albums
1957	Terry Gibbs	A Jazz Band Ball (Second Set)	Mode
1959	Terry Gibbs Dream Band	The Sundown Sessions, Vol. 2	Contemporary	Live recording, released in 1987
1959	Terry Gibbs Dream Band	Flying Home, Vol. 3	Contemporary	Live recordings, released in 1988. Levy on four tracks
1959	Terry Gibbs Dream Band	One More Time, Vol. 6	Contemporary	Live recordings, released in 2002. Levy on four tracks
1982	Terry Gibbs & His West Coast Friends	My Buddy	Atlas
1955	Lionel Hampton and Stan Getz	Hamp and Getz	Norgran
1958	Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge	The Great English Concert 1958	Jazz Groove	Five (of eleven) tracks (others feat. Stan Getz with nearly the same rhythm section)
1958	Coleman Hawkins Septet	Lover Man et al.	(various labels)	Live recordings; two tracks with Levy from the Jazz Festival in Antibes, France: "Undecided" and "Indian Summer"; first released maybe in 1987 or earlier
1960	Coleman Hawkins & Friends	Bean Stalkin'	Pablo	Live recording from Paris, France, released in 1988; four (of six) tracks with a sextet feat. Levy and Benny Carter
1948f	Woody Herman and His Orchestra	Woody Herman Second Herd	Capitol
1957	Quincy Jones	Go West, Man!	ABC-Paramount	Levy on three tracks
1956	Peggy Lee	Black Coffee (reissue)	Decca	The four additional tracks for 12" LP release with Levy
1963	Peggy Lee	Mink Jazz	Capitol
1965	Peggy Lee	Pass Me By	Capitol
1955	Stan Levey	This Time the Drums on Me	Bethlehem
1957	Stan Levey	Stan Levey Quintet	Mode
1976	Warne Marsh	All Music	Nessa
1984	Warne Marsh Quartet	A Ballad Album	Criss Cross Jazz
1978	Charles McPherson	Free Bop!	Xanadu
1977	Sam Most	Flute Flight	Xanadu
1957	Gerry Mulligan w/ Stan Getz	Gerry Mulligan Meets Stan Getz	Verve	see also Stan Getz
1954 & 1956	Lennie Niehaus	Zounds! (Vol. 2 & 3: The Octet)	Contemporary	1958 LP release of both octet sessions prev. issued on 7" and 10"
1957	Lennie Niehaus	I Swing for You	EmArcy
1960	Anita O'Day	Incomparable!	Verve
1979	Anita O'Day	Mello'day	GNP Crescendo	Levy also arranger
1956	Shorty Rogers & His Giants	Clickin' with Clax	Atlantic	Released 1978
1955	Shorty Rogers	Martians Come Back!	Atlantic
1955	Shorty Rogers	Way Up There	Atlantic
1956	Shorty Rogers	The Big Shorty Rogers Express	RCA Victor
1957	Shorty Rogers	Wherever the Five Winds Blow	RCA Victor
1958	Shorty Rogers	Portrait of Shorty	RCA Victor
1960	Shorty Rogers	The Swingin' Nutcracker	RCA Victor
1962	Shorty Rogers & His Giants	Jazz Waltz	Reprise
1959	Sonny Stitt	Sonny Stitt Blows the Blues	Verve
1959	Sonny Stitt	Saxophone Supremacy	Verve
1959	Sonny Stitt	Sonny Stitt Swings the Most	Verve
1960	Sonny Stitt	Previously Unreleased Recordings	Verve	Released in 1973
1980	Sonny Stitt & His West Coast Friends	Groovin' High	Atlas	With Art Pepper
1975	Supersax	Live in '75 - The Japanese Tour Vol. 2	Hindsight	Released in 1999
1977	Supersax	Chasin' the Bird	MPS/Pausa
1979	Supersax	Dynamite !!	MPS/Pausa
1983	Supersax & L.A. Voices	L.A.	Columbia
1983	Supersax	Stone Bird	Columbia
1993	Bennie Wallace	The Old Songs	AudioQuest	Levy on two tracks
1985	Pinky Winters	Let's Be Buddies	Jacqueline	With Monty Budwig

References

1. Ratliff, Ben (31 January 2001). "Lou Levy, 72, Versatile Pianist For Top Singers in Jazz World". The New York Times.

External links

• Lou Levy at AllMusic
• Lou Levy discography at Discogs
• Lou Levy at the Internet Movie Database