Lou Stein (April 22, 1922 – December 11, 2002) was an American jazz pianist.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Stein joined
Ray McKinley's band in 1942.
He played with
Glenn Miller when the latter was stateside during World War II.
After the war he worked with
Charlie Ventura (1946–47)
and became a
session musician
A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...
. He performed with the
Lawson-Haggart Band,
Benny Goodman,
Sarah Vaughan, the
Sauter-Finegan Orchestra,
Louie Bellson,
Red Allen,
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first ...
, and
Lester Young
Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist.
Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most i ...
, and recorded as a
bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a dance band, rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhyth ...
. In 1957 he had a U.S.
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
hit with "Almost Paradise", which peaked at No. 31 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. His cover version of "Got a Match" made the ''Cashbox'' Top 60 in 1958. He played with
Joe Venuti from 1969 to 1972.
Discography
* ''Lou Stein Trio'' (
Brunswick, 1954)
* ''House Hop'' (
Epic, 1954)
* ''Lou Stein at Large!'' (Brunswick, 1954)
* ''Six for Kicks'' (
Jubilee, 1954)
* ''The Lou Stein 3, 4, and 5'' (Epic, 1955)
* ''Eight for Kicks, Four for Laughs'' (Jubilee, 1956)
* ''From Broadway to Paris'' (Epic, 1956)
* ''Honky Tonk Piano'' (Mercury, 1956)
* ''Introspective 1'' (Leric, 1972)
* ''Tribute to Tatum'' (
Chiaroscuro, 1976)
* ''Stompin' Em Down'' (Chiaroscuro, 1978)
* ''Lou Stein & Friends'' (World Jazz, 1980)
* ''Temple of the Gods'' (Chiaroscuro, 1980)
* ''Live at the Dome'' (Dreamstreet, 1981)
* ''Solo'' (
Audiophile, 1984)
* ''Go Daddy!'' (Pullen Music, 1994)
As sideman
With
Louis Bellson
* ''
The Driving Louis Bellson'' (Norgran, 1955)
* ''
Let's Call It Swing'' (Verve, 1956)
* ''
Drummer's Holiday'' (Verve, 1958)
With
Woody Herman
* ''
Songs for Hip Lovers'' (Verve, 1957)
With
Lee Konitz
* ''
An Image: Lee Konitz with Strings'' (Verve, 1958)
With
Joe Newman
* ''
New Sounds in Swing'' with
Billy Byers (
Jazztone, 1956)
With
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...
* ''
Big Band
A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...
'' (
Clef, 1954)
With
Cootie Williams
* ''
Cootie Williams in Hi-Fi'' (RCA Victor, 1958)
Literature
*
Leonard Feather &
Ira Gitler, ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz''. Oxford University Press: Oxford/New York 1999;
References
External links
Lou Stein recordingsat the
Discography of American Historical Recordings.
1922 births
2002 deaths
American jazz pianists
American male jazz pianists
American session musicians
Jazz musicians from Philadelphia
Jubilee Records artists
Brunswick Records artists
20th-century American pianists
20th-century American male musicians
New York Jazz Repertory Company members
{{US-pianist-stub