Isidore "Tuts" Washington (January 24, 1907 – August 5, 1984)
was an American blues pianist from
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, United States.
He taught himself to play the piano at age 10 and studied with the New Orleans jazz pianist Joseph Louis "Red" Cayou.
In the 1920s and 1930s, he was a leading player for dance bands and
Dixieland
Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...
bands in New Orleans. His style blended elements of
ragtime
Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...
,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
,
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
, and
boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, developed in African-American communities since 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually extended from pian ...
.
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Washington joined
Smiley Lewis
A smiley, sometimes referred to as a smiley face, is a basic ideogram that represents a smiling face. Since the 1950s it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram, or as a form of communication, such a ...
in a trio with drummer Herman Seals.
They released several popular songs for
Imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texa ...
, including "Tee-Nah-Nah", "The Bells Are Ringing", and "Dirty People". Washington moved to St. Louis to play with
Tab Smith
Talmadge "Tab" Smith (January 11, 1909 – August 17, 1971) was an American swing and rhythm and blues alto saxophonist. He is best remembered for the tracks "Because of You" and "Pretend". He worked with Count Basie, the Mills Rhythm Boys a ...
.
He returned to New Orleans in the 1960s, performing in restaurants in the
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Squ ...
, in clubs such as
Tipitina's
Tipitina's is a music venue located at the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street in Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
History
Local music enthusiasts opened the venue on January 14, 1977.[New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New ...]
. For years he had a regular engagement playing piano at a bar in the
Pontchartrain Hotel
The Pontchartrain Hotel is a historic hotel on St. Charles Avenue in Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
History
Albert Aschaffenburg Sr., a prominent New Orleans capitalist and real estate developer, planned to build the Pontchartr ...
. He avoided recording for most of his career,
but he released the solo piano album ''New Orleans Piano Professor'' for
Rounder
Rounder(s) or The Rounder(s) may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Rounders'' (1914 film), a comedy short
* ''The Rounder'' (1930 film), a comedy short
* ''The Rounders'' (1965 film), a western comedy
* ''Rounders'' (film), a 1998 poker f ...
in 1983.
A live recording by Washington, ''Live at Tipitina's '78'', was released by Night Train International Records in 1998.
Washington is featured, along with
Professor Longhair and
Allen Toussaint
Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...
, in the 1982 documentary film "
Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
".
Washington died on August 5, 1984, after having a heart attack while performing at the
World's Fair
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...
in New Orleans.
Discography
''New Orleans Piano'' (with Lemon Nash, ukulele and vocal, incorrectly listed as Charles "Little Red" Lajoie, vocal and banjo)* - 504 Records – 504 CD 32
*"
On the Sunny Side of the Street
"On the Sunny Side of the Street" is a 1930 song composed by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Some authors say that Fats Waller was the composer, but he sold the rights to the song. It was introduced in the Broadway musical ''Lew Leslie ...
"
*"
Muskrat Ramble
"Muskrat Ramble" is a jazz composition written by Kid Ory in 1926. It was first recorded on February 26, 1926, by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, and became the group's most frequently recorded piece. It was paired on the flip side with another ...
"
*"Fast Blues #1"*
*"
Blue Moon"
*"
Basin Street Blues"
*"
Some of These Days
"Some of These Days" is a popular song, written and composed by Shelton Brooks, published in 1910, and associated with the performer Sophie Tucker.
Background
Shelton Brooks and "Some of These Days" was brought to Sophie Tucker's attention in 1 ...
"*
*"Yancey Special #1"
*"
After You've Gone"
*"Early One Morning"*
*"Cow Cow Blues"
*"Pinetop's Boogie"
*"Trouble Trouble"*
*"Tack Head Blues"
*"Yancey Special #2"
*"Indiana"*
*"St. Louis Blues''
''Live At Tipitina's '78'' - Night Train International – NTI CD 7101
*"Miss Lucy's Blues"
*"Honky Tonk"
*"Tuts Washington's Blues"
*"Intro & Stardust"
*"When the Saints Come Marching In"
*"Yancey Special"
*"Gravel Road Blues"
*"How High the Moon"
*"Corrine Corrina"
*"Flood Water Blues"
*"Tuts's Rag"
*"Blue Moon"
*"Someone to Watch Over Me"
*"Sweet Georgia Brown"
*"Pool Hall Blues"
*"Tuts's Tee Na Na"
*"Poydras Street"
*"Sweet Georgia Brown" - Reprise
*"After Hours"
''Tuts Washington - New Orleans Piano Professor'' - Rounder Records – Rounder CD 11501
*"When the Saints Go Marching In"
*"Tin Roof Blues"
*"Arkansas Blues"
*"Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans"
*"Honky Tonk"
*"Wolverine Blues"
*"On the Sunny Side of the Street"
*"Jambalaya"
*"Misty"
*"Mr. Freddie Blues"
*"Stardust"
*"Frankie and Johnny"
*"Hattie Rogers Blues"
*"Georgia on My Mind"
*"Tee Nah Nah"
*"White Christmas"
*"Forty-Four Blues"
*"Blue Moon"
*"Yancey Special"
*"Tipitina"
*"Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White"
*"Santa Fe Blues"
*"Papa Yellow Blues"
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Tuts
1907 births
1984 deaths
American blues pianists
American male pianists
American jazz pianists
Boogie-woogie pianists
Rhythm and blues musicians from New Orleans
Jazz musicians from New Orleans
Blues musicians from New Orleans
Louisiana blues musicians
20th-century American pianists
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians