"Which musical instrument is associated with jazz musician Willie ""The Lion"" Smith"
Willie "The Lion" Smith Smith Day in Newark, New Jersey. Smith died at the age of 75, on April 18, 1973, in New York. The liner notes his 1958 LP "The Legend of Willie "The Lion" Smith" (Grand Awards Records GA 33-368) state: "Duke Ellington has never lost his awe of the Lion's prowess." It quotes Ellington as saying, "Willie The Lion was the greatest influence of all the great jazz piano players who have come along. He has a beat that stays in the mind." This LP is also noted for its album cover, featuring a painting of the Lion by Tracy Sugarman.
Willie "The Lion" Smith Ellington attested to his admiration when he composed and recorded the highly regarded "Portrait of the Lion" in 1939. Orange County (NY) Executive Edward Diana issued a proclamation declaring September 18 Willie "The Lion" Smith Day in Orange County, the date of the first Goshen Jazz Festival. Willie "The Lion" Smith William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff Smith (November 25, 1897 – April 18, 1973), also known as "The Lion", was an American jazz pianist and one of the masters of the stride style, usually grouped with James P. Johnson and Thomas "Fats" Waller as the three greatest practitioners of the