Lou Levy (pianist)

Louis A. "Lou" Levy (March 5, 1928 – January 23, 2001) was an American jazz pianist

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 (Nocturne, 1954; reissued on Fresh Sound, 1988)
• West Coast Wailers with Conte Candoli (Atlantic, 1955)
• Solo Scene (BMG, 1956)
• Jazz in Four Colors (RCA, 1956)
• A Most Musical Fella (BMG/RCA/Cloud 9, 1957)
• Lou Levy Plays Baby Grand Jazz (Jubilee, 1959)
• The Hymn (1963)
• Tempus Fugue-It (Interplay, 1977)
• A Touch of Class (Dobre, 1978; Essential Media, 2013)
• The Kid's Got Ears! (Jazziz, 1982)
• Lunarcy (Verve, 1993)
• Ya Know (Verve/Polygram, 1995)
• By Myself (Verve, 1995; Universal, 2007)^[2]

As sideman

References

External links

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