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Famed for breaking the "colour bar" in jazz, pianist Teddy Wilson (1912-86) starred with Benny Goodman, made classic recordings with Billie Holiday and set a life-long standard for impeccable musicianship. Geoffrey Smith picks some favourite tracks.

1 hour

Last on

Sun 24 Jan 201600:00

Music Played

  • Teddy Wilson

    Once Upon A Time

    • The Teddy Wilson Collection - 1933 - 41.
    • Fabulous.
    • 1.
  • Billie Holiday & Wilson, Teddy With Billie Holiday, Voc.

    What A Little Moonlight Can Do

    • Lady Day - The Best of Billie Holiday.
    • 1.
  • Benny Goodman & Benny Goodman

    After You've Gone

    • The Quintessence.
    • Fremeaux.
    • 4.
  • Benny Goodman & Benny Goodman

    Time On My Hands

    • The Quintessence.
    • Fremeaux.
    • 16.
  • Billie Holiday & Billie Holiday

    Easy To Love

    • Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday.
    • Columbia/Legacy.
    • 8.
  • Teddy Wilson

    All My Life

    • The Teddy Wilson Collection - 1933 - 41.
    • Fabulous.
    • 5.
  • Billie Holiday

    I'll Never Be The Same

    • The Legacy (1933-1958).
    • Columbia/Legacy.
    • 14.
  • Teddy Wilson & Teddy Wilson

    Mary Had A Little Lamb

    • The Teddy Wilson Collection - 1933 - 41.
    • Fabulous.
    • 7.
  • Teddy Wilson & Benny Goodman

    Don't Blame Me

    • The Quintessence.
    • Fremeaux.
    • 16.
  • Teddy Wilson & Benny Goodman

    Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea

    • The Quintessence.
    • Fremeaux.
    • 17.
  • Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra

    Jungle Love

    • The Quintessence.
    • Fremeaux.
    • 1.
  • Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra

    I Never Knew

    • The Teddy Wilson Collection - 1933 - 41.
    • Fabulous.
    • 22.
  • Coleman Hawkins & Coleman Hawkins

    Make Believe

    • The Master.
    • Le Jazz.
    • 13.
  • Teddy Wilson & Teddy Wilson and His Trio

    Fine and Dandy

    • Teddy Wilson Trio and Jo Jones: Complete Recordings.
    • Essential Jazz Classics.
    • 6.
  • The Lester Young — Teddy Wilson Quartet

    All of Me

    Performer: The Lester Young — Teddy Wilson Quartet. Performer: Lester Young. Performer: Teddy Wilson. Performer: Gene Ramey. Performer: JOE JONES.
    • Pres and Teddy: The Lester Young Teddy Wilson Quartet.
    • Verve.
    • 1.

Performers:

Title: Once Upon A Time
Artist: Teddy Wilson 
Composers: Carter/Moen 
Album Title: The Teddy Wilson Collection - 1933 - 41 
Label: Fabulous Catalogue No: FABCD 357 
Duration: 03:32
Performers: Max Kaminsky, (tp); Benny Carter, (tp); Floyd O’Brien, (tb); Chu Berry, (ts); Teddy Wilson, (p); Lawrence “Larry” Lucie, (g); Ernest Hill, (b); Sidney Catlett, (d)


Title: What a Little Moonlight Can Do
Artist: Teddy Wilson with Billie Holiday 
Composers: Woods/Barker 
Album Title: Too Hot For Words 
Label: HEP Catalogue No: HEPCD-1012 
Duration: 02:56
Performers: Roy Eldridge, (trumpet); Benny Goodman, (clarinet); Ben Webster, (tenor saxophone); Teddy Wilson, (piano); John Trueheart, (guitar); John Kirby, (string bass); Cozy Cole, (drums).


Title: After You've Gone
Artist: Benny Goodman 
Composers: Turner/Layton 
Album Title: The Quintessence 
Label: Fremeaux Catalogue No: FA 240 
Duration: 02:46 
Performers: Benny Goodman, (cl); Teddy Wilson, (p); Gene Krupa, (d)


Title: Time On My Hands
Artist: Benny Goodman 
Composers: Adamson/Gordon/Youmans 
Album Title: The Quintessence 
Label: Fremeaux Catalogue No: FA 240 
Duration: 03:34 
Performers: Benny Goodman, (cl); Teddy Wilson, (p); Gene Krupa, (d)


Title: Easy To Love
Artist: Billie Holiday
Composers: Cole Porter 
Album Title: Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday 
Label: Columbia/Legacy Catalogue No: COL-504722 
Duration: 03:10
Performers: Irving “Mouse” Randolph, trumpet; Vido Musso, clarinet; Ben Webster, tenor saxophone; Teddy Wilson, piano; Allan Reuss, guitar; Milt Hinton, string bass; Gene Krupa, drums 


Title: All My Life
Artist: Teddy Wilson 
Composers: Stept/Anderson 
Album Title: The Teddy Wilson Collection - 1933 - 41 
Label: Fabulous Catalogue No: FABCD 357 
Duration: 03:12 
Performers: Frank Newton, trumpet; Benny Morton, trombone; Jerry Blake, clarinet; Teddy McRae, tenor saxophone; Teddy Wilson, piano; John Trueheart, guitar; Leemie Stanfield, bass; Cozy Cole, drums; Ella Fitzgerald, vocals.


Title: I'll Never Be The Same
Artist: Billie Holiday
Composers: Kahn/Malneck/Signorelli 
Album Title: The Legacy (1933-1958) 
Label: Columbia/Legacy Catalogue No: C3K-47724 
Duration: 03:01 
Performers: Buck Clayton, trumpet; Buster Bailey, clarinet; Lester Young, tenor saxophone; Teddy Wilson, piano; Freddie Green, guitar; Walter Page, string bass; Jo Jones, drums; Billie Holiday, vocals.


Title: Mary Had a Little Lamb
Artist: Teddy Wilson 
Composers: Symes/Malneck 
Album Title: The Teddy Wilson Collection - 1933 - 41 
Label: Fabulous Catalogue No: FABCD 357 
Duration: 02:55 
Performers: Teddy Wilson, piano; Roy Eldridge, trumpet and vocal; Chu Berry, tenor; Buster Bailey, clarinet; Bob Lessey, guitar; Israel Crosby, bass; Sid Catlett, drums.


Title: Don't Blame Me
Artist: Teddy Wilson 
Composers: D.Fields/J.McHugh,
Album Title: The Quintessence 
Label: Fremeaux Catalogue No: FA 240 
Duration: 03:00 
Performers: Teddy Wilson, piano


Title: Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
Artist: Teddy Wilson
Composers: Arlen/Koehler 
Album Title: The Quintessence 
Label: Fremeaux Catalogue No: FA 240 
Duration: 02:40 
Performers: Teddy Wilson


Title: Jungle Love
Artist: Teddy Wilson 
Composers: L. Robin / R. Rainger 
Album Title: The Quintessence 
Label: Fremeaux Catalogue No: FA 240 
Duration: 02:50 
Performers: Bobby Hackett, cnt; Pee-Wee Russell, cl; Johnny Hodges, as; Teddy Wilson, p; Allen Reuss, g; Al Hall, b; Johnny Blowers, d.


Title: I Never Knew
Artist: Teddy Wilson 
Composers: Fiorito/Kahn
Album Title: The Teddy Wilson Collection - 1933 - 41 
Label: Fabulous Catalogue No: FABCD 357 
Duration: 02:39 
Performers: Teddy Wilson, piano; Eddie Gibbs, guitar; Al Hall, bass; Yank Porter, drums


Title: Make Believe
Artist: Coleman Hawkins 
Composers: Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II 
Album Title: The Master 
Label: Le Jazz Catalogue No: CD37 
Duration: 04:41 
Performers: Coleman Hawkins, ts; Teddy Wilson, p; John Kirby, b; Sid Catlett, d.


Title: Fine and Dandy 
Artist: Teddy Wilson and His Trio 
Composers: Kay Swift/Paul James
Album Title: Teddy Wilson Trio and Jo Jones: Complete Recordings 
Label: Essential Jazz Classics Catalogue No: 55408 
Duration: 03:31
Performers: Teddy Wilson, piano; Jo Jones, drums; Milton Hinton, bass.


Title: All of Me 
Artist: Lester Young 
Composers: Simons/Marks
Album Title: Pres and Teddy: The Lester Young & Teddy Wilson Quartet 
Label: Verve Catalogue No: 8312702-(1) 
Duration 05:07 
Performers: Lester Young, tenor sax; Teddy Wilson, piano; Gene Ramey, bass; Jo Jones, drums.

Broadcast

  • Sun 24 Jan 201600:00

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