Donald Lambert
Encyclopedia
Donald "The Lamb" Lambert (12 February 1904 - 8 May 1962) was an American
jazz
stride pianist born in Princeton, New Jersey
, perhaps best-known for playing in Harlem
night clubs throughout the 1920s. Lambert was taught piano by his mother but never learned to read the notes. For his particularly rapid left hand striding technique, he was a formidable opponent in cutting contest
s. Lambert is also notorious for an occasion on which he challenged Art Tatum
at a jazz concert where other famous players were present. Lambert's discography is very sparse: the only commercial recordings under his name were four titles made for RCA's Bluebird label in 1941, in which he interpreted classical themes: Richard Wagner's Pilgrim's Chorus from Tannhauser, Anitra's Dance by Edvard Grieg, Gaetano Donizetti's Sextet from Lucia di Lammermoor and Jules Massenet's Elegie. However, several compilations were released in the 1980s containing live recordings dating from 1959-62. Lambert appeared at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival alongside Eubie Blake and Willie 'the Lion' Smith, and was said to have outplayed both of them. His nicknames included the "Jersey Rocket", "The Lamb", "Muffin" and "The lamb of God".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
stride pianist born in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, perhaps best-known for playing in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
night clubs throughout the 1920s. Lambert was taught piano by his mother but never learned to read the notes. For his particularly rapid left hand striding technique, he was a formidable opponent in cutting contest
Cutting contest
Cutting contests were a form of musical battles between various stride piano players between the 1920s and 1940s, and to a lesser extent in improvisatory competition on other jazz instruments during the swing era...
s. Lambert is also notorious for an occasion on which he challenged Art Tatum
Art Tatum
Arthur "Art" Tatum, Jr. was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso who played with phenomenal facility despite being nearly blind.Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time...
at a jazz concert where other famous players were present. Lambert's discography is very sparse: the only commercial recordings under his name were four titles made for RCA's Bluebird label in 1941, in which he interpreted classical themes: Richard Wagner's Pilgrim's Chorus from Tannhauser, Anitra's Dance by Edvard Grieg, Gaetano Donizetti's Sextet from Lucia di Lammermoor and Jules Massenet's Elegie. However, several compilations were released in the 1980s containing live recordings dating from 1959-62. Lambert appeared at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival alongside Eubie Blake and Willie 'the Lion' Smith, and was said to have outplayed both of them. His nicknames included the "Jersey Rocket", "The Lamb", "Muffin" and "The lamb of God".
External links
Discography
- RCA [France] 741.118/9 "Harlem Stride Pianists" (includes the four Bluebird sides from 1941)
- IAJRC "Donald Lambert: Meet the Lamb"
- Pumpkin "Donald Lambert: Harlem Stride Classics"