Willie Pickens

Willie Pickens (pianist) was born in Milwaukee on April 18, 1931, in the Bronzeville neighborhood. One of six children, he was introduced to music by his mother, who played piano. He began studying classical piano at age 14 and attended Lincoln High School along with Frank Morgan, Bunky Green, and Manty Ellis. After serving in the U.S. Army, where he played clarinet in the Army band, he earned a degree in music education from the Wisconsin State College—Milwaukee (now the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee) in 1958.

That same year, he moved to Chicago, where he was soon working with saxophonist Eddie Harris—documented on four albums on Vee-Jay Records, including the classic Exodus to Jazz. He continued to work with Harris until 1966 when he began teaching music in the Chicago public schools.

For decades, he was the house pianist at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, where he performed with countless jazz stars, including Gene Ammons, Art Farmer, Dexter Gordon, and Sonny Stitt. In 1990, Willie retired from his teaching position and went on the road as a member of Elvin Jones’s Jazz Machine, touring internationally for about five years. After leaving Elvin’s group, he continued to perform at the Jazz Showcase and elsewhere. In 1997, he joined the jazz faculty of Northern Illinois University.

Willie died of a heart attack on December 12, 2017, in New York City, shortly after practicing and on his way to a soundcheck for a performance at Jazz at Lincoln Center at the age of 86.

Listen to Willie perform “Invitation” with bassist Dan Shapera and drummer Robert Shy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVpC_lYuamc