In Remembrance: LA Times: Paul Smith Dies at 91

Don Heckman – (LA Times)

Paul Smith, a jazz pianist, arranger-composer and music director for stars such as Sammy Davis Jr., Anita O’Day, Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald, Doris Day, the Andrews Sisters, Sarah Vaughan and Rosemary Clooney, has died. He was 91. Smith died of heart failure Saturday at the Torrance Memorial Medical Center, publicist Alan Eichler said.

At 6 feet 5, with hands that easily spanned the piano keyboard well beyond octaves, Smith was an impressive sight on stage. Playing with a versatility comparable to that of Oscar Peterson and a harmonic richness similar to the work of Bill Evans, he was both a brilliant soloist and an accompanist who was highly praised by the many singers with whom he performed.

Source: Los Angeles Times