Lou Levy (pianist)
Louis A. "Lou" Levy was an American jazz pianistBiography
Levy was born to Jewish parents in Chicago and started playing piano when he was twelve. His chief influences were Art Tatum and Bud Powell.
A professional at age nineteen, Levy played with Georgie Auld, Sarah Vaughan, Chubby Jackson, Boyd Raeburn, Woody Herman's Second Herd, Tommy Dorsey and Flip Phillips. Levy left music for a few years in the early fifties and then returned to gain a strong reputation as an accompanist to singers, working with Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, June Christy, Anita O'Day and Pinky Winters. Levy also played with Dizzy Gillespie, Shorty Rogers, Stan Getz, Terry Gibbs, Benny Goodman, Supersax and most of the major West Coast players. Levy recorded as a leader for Nocturne, RCA, Jubilee, Philips, Interplay, and Verve.
Levy died of a heart attack in Dana Point, California at the age of 72.Selected discography
As leader
