Dick Wellstood

One of the two great stride pianists (along with <a href="spotify:artist:78vaS34w6HBZi3epzpfTz9">Ralph Sutton</a>) to emerge during the 1940s when members of their generation were generally playing bebop, Wellstood kept an open mind toward later styles (he loved <a href="spotify:artist:4PDpGtF16XpqvXxsrFwQnN">Monk</a>) while sounding at his best playing classic jazz. A little more subtle than <a href="spotify:artist:78vaS34w6HBZi3epzpfTz9">Sutton</a>, Wellstood was also a powerful pianist who was a superb interpreter of the music of <a href="spotify:artist:0BMlIte9CqjItQ6mh2GoGi">James P. Johnson</a> and his contemporaries. He came to New York with <a href="spotify:artist:38ft9KbJkq7eEVAxWt9yOs">Bob Wilber's Wildcats</a> in 1946 and caught on in the trad jazz scene quickly. By 1947 he was playing with <a href="spotify:artist:1RsmXc1ZqW3WBs9iwxiSwk">Sidney Bechet</a>, and in the 1950s he mostly worked with veteran players including trumpeters <a href="spotify:artist:4RvXA7BDgqNgGDjsSSJnPc">Roy Eldridge</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0Tb8S5bNKO7nZV1eunOwZa">Rex Stewart</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1yOf0GbMOo9zdD2FF0rUoK">Charlie Shavers</a> and the <a href="spotify:artist:1YaB5mqH5zlJqvJaKIsBrS">Eddie Condon</a> gang. He was in the intermission band at Condon's starting in 1956 and later was house pianist at the Metropole and Nick's. After a period with <a href="spotify:artist:2YODXXiVE8ABc0TfihLOFj">Gene Krupa</a>'s quartet, he toured with <a href="spotify:artist:3od5Mdj7OgLATvDkDynmHH">the World's Greatest Jazz Band</a>. Wellstood remained active throughout his all-too-short life, playing solo concerts, performing at jazz parties, and recording quite a few memorable albums. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi

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