Three pioneering jazz pianists you should know: III. Teddy Wilson, 1912-1986.

It was an impromptu jam session at a private party in 1935, that started Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson on their first steps down the road to music and social history. Goodman described their playing that night as "though we were thinking with the same brain" and asked Wilson to join him and drummer Gene Krupa in the recording studio. Body and Soul, released as a 78, became one of Goodman's most enduring hits.

"Electrifying" is the word most often used to describe the musical chemistry between Teddy Wilson and Benny Goodman. Electrifying for both the performers and their audience, and it was this that eventually propelled Goodman to take the next step. Interracial recording sessions were not new at this point, but African American and white musicians did not appear in public performance together. Though the whole country was dancing to Body and Soul, Goodman hesitated, fearful that introducing a black man on stage might be a career-destroying move. In the end, though, the music itself presented the most convincing argument. Goodman decided to acknowledge his own debt to African American music and to use his current popularity as a force for change. In 1936, Teddy Wilson broke through the color line and joined Goodman and Krupa on stage to make music. It sounded, Goodman said later, as though we had "been born to play this way."

Teddy Wilson played with Benny Goodman until 1939 and in various "reunions" thereafter, but he didn't need Goodman to assure himself a position of prominence in the world of jazz. Wilson was a truly elegant virtuoso and developed a unique "smooth" style of swing piano that in small group settings became known as "chamber jazz." He played and recorded most often in trio and quartet settings, but I think the finest example of his lyrical style may be heard in a solo recording from 1941 of Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. Actually, I believe this is one of the finest jazz piano solos ever, in any style. But, if that one is just too heart-melting for you, try one of his solo versions of Earl Hines' Rosetta - a close runner-up. Or, listen to all of his recordings and argue with me for your own favorite. Regardless, keep your sweetie handy - you will want to dance.

Three pioneering jazz pianists you should know: I. Fats Waller, 1904-1943

Trite but true: when Art and Commerce collide, bottom-line considerations almost always determine the outcome. Add racism to the mix and you’ve got the beginnings, at least, of the Fats Waller story. Although Waller was a classically trained pianist, “popular” music was the only venue open to an African American in the 1920s. Studying under the great James P. Johnson and then honing his chops in the infamous “cutting” sessions of Harlem’s nightclubs, Waller became a master of the stride piano technique and began to attract “outside” attention.

Stride, named for the moving tenths in the left hand which “stride” up the keyboard, is sometimes mistakenly called ragtime; while it does have a “ragged” beat, stride swings more than ragtime and, most importantly, is characterized by melodic improvisation in the right hand. In other words, stride is jazz!

Classically informed and rhythmically complex, stride requires technical mastery, great sophistication and complete fluency in the language of music from the pianist. Fats Waller, as both composer and performer, was one of the greatest stride pianists ever.

Enter Commerce. Waller was also an engaging vocalist with an endearing comic presence on stage. The music industry, preferring the tried and true, pushed Waller to emphasize this aspect of his art and to follow the standard Tin Pan Alley routine of syrupy lyrics and simple melodies suitable for the sheet music displayed on every parlor piano in America.

Thankfully, genius will out. Though Fats Waller is remembered by many today as a vocalist and comedian, careful listening reveals that his lyrics have as many layers as his music, and he never dumbed it down on the piano. The library has several CDs by Fats Waller. My favorite, Turn on the Heat, is a 2-CD set of most of his solo piano recordings. Listen straight through once for the sheer joy of it; then read the liner notes and listen again. This is seriously great music, and, yes, there will be a quiz.