Dick Wellstood might be one of the greatest jazz performers who is not widely known. He was the master of “stride” piano, which really deals with the left hand striding: the bass note on 1 and 3, and the chord an octave or so higher on 2 and 4, as the right hand does all the desired improvs, melody and maybe an occasional arpeggio.
He was not hesitant to occasionally quote from the classical side, even Bruckner. While he was brilliant, he assumed a stage persona as a Brooklyn truck driver, complete with the “dese” and “dats”. At one point mid-career he decided to go to law school, but once obtaining a law-related job years later, he only lasted a few months; the pull to the touring artists was simple too great.
His Wikipedia page has additional details. He died in 1987 at age 59 of a heart attack.
Biography (from Amazon)
Giant Strides: The Legacy of Dick Wellstood – Edward N. Meyer
Dick Wellstood first became prominent as a teenager in Bob Wilber’s “Wildcats,” where his stride-style solos brought him to the forefront of the jazz world. In the following decades he became a regular fixture at the premiere jazz clubs in New York and toured Europe to critical acclaim.
Not only was Wellstood an expressive musician, but he was a literate and articulate writer as well. His articles and letters were published in Downbeat, Jazz Journal International, Sounds and Fury, and Jersey Jazz. He wrote liner notes for many albums which reveal not just his intelligence but his sharp sense of humor. Outside of the music world, Wellstood was a law student who taught himself Latin and German.
Drawing upon Wellstood’s unpublished personal correspondence and the recollections of his family, friends, and fellow musicians, Giant Strides explores the personality of this talented musician and intriguing man. Meyer’s own writing and interviews with Wellstood himself, as well as Kenny Davern, Marty Grosz, Dick Sudhalter, Joe Muranyi, and Dan Morgenstern bring Wellstood to life in this vivid book.
Sample YouTube Videos
Dick Wellstood – Cornet Chop Suey (4:12)
Dick Wellstood – 12th Street Rag | Live in Connecticut 1985 (3:06)
Dick Wellstood – Ain’tcha Got Music, Old Fashioned Love, Keep off the Grass | Live 1986 (9:22)
Dick Wellstood in They All Play Ragtime (4:46)
Ragtime Piano – Dick Wellstood (2:49)
Dick Wellstood – Ellington Medley & Interview with Marian McPartland (10:33)
Dick Wellstood – at The Sticky Wicket – The Entertainer (5:12)
Dick Wellstood – at The Sticky Wicket – Handful of keys (4:19)
Dick Wellstood – at The Sticky Wicket – You Go To My Head (4:51)