Willie Gant

Known for a repertoire as deep as the Atlantic Sea, pianist Willie Gant spent significant amounts of his profession performing like a single pianist, including a lot more than 2 decades in NEW YORK at venues like the Resort Fairfax and Carutti’s from the ’30s. In the last times of his carrying out existence he was both a bandleader and a sideman in a few pretty hot organizations such as for example Lillyn Dark brown & Her Jazzbo Syncopaters in 1921. His personal Willie Gant’s Ramblers offered popular performers such as for example Fat Waller stiff competition for the reason that 10 years, although with regards to historical position the performer once referred to as “The Tiger” continues to be left relatively in the wayside, at least in comparison to Waller. Gant started playing keyboards when he was 12 with 17 was carrying out at a fresh York Town cafe. The to begin his rings was created in 1921, the Gant models serving as excellent teaching grounds for becoming more popular players over another six years. Guitarist Freddie Green of Count number Basie fame, occasionally known as the best tempo guitarist, was one particular ant in the Gant hill. Green provides commented in interviews on both endless nature from the Gant tune list aswell as the pianist’s certainly flawless timing. Probably Gant sensed he required neither rings nor the documenting sector shenanigans that go with marketing and documenting such projects. After 1927 he performed nearly solely solo; his discography fundamentally consists of edges cut in the first ’20s.