Lion & Tiger

"The overriding impression when you hear these performances is that these two musicians play like one man. There is a single pulse common to both piano and drums, the musical heart of 'the Lion' and 'the Tiger' combined. It beats at exactly the same rhythm, the basis of that jazz which defies the ages and, across the most varied of styles, remains the faultless foundation of the music of our times." (Hugues Panassie) Recorded by Hugues and Louis Panassie in 1972 in New York, this double album brings together two monuments in jazz and rhythm: Willie Smith (it's one of the last recordings by this most eminent of stride pianists), and Jo Jones, whose seat is the drummers' Hall of Fame is assured.) This music first appeared in 1972, and were digitally transferred, restored and reassembled in 2002 by Laurent Verdeaux; working with the original tapes, he was able to reconstruct the sessions' chronology and integrate previously unreleased takes. The result is a resounding climax, one of the greatest moments in jazz!