Lawrence Elliott Willis (born December 20 1942 in New York, NY) is an American jazz pianist and composer. He has performed in a wide range of styles, including jazz fusion rock music, Bebop and Avant-Garde After his first year studying music theory at the Manhattan School of Music he began performing regularly with Jackie McLean. After he graduated he made his first jazz recording, McLean's Right Now! , which featured two of Willis' compositions. His first recording of any type, however, was as a singer with the Music and Arts Chorale Ensemble, performing an opera by Aaron Copland under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. He decided to concentrate on jazz because of the difficulties African American musicians had in finding work in concert music. He is still recording and touring around the world. Throughout his illustrious career he has performed with a wide range of musicians, including a stint of seven years as keyboardist for Blood, Sweat & Tears (beginning in 1972). His latest recording with Paul Murphy, Exposé , demonstrates the high energy fusion principals of Bebop and Avant-Garde Jazz. Their brilliant blending of Bebop and Avant garde jazz is astounding, creating extraordinary compositions that have been described as a ‘fantastic masterpiece of modern jazz’ leaving extraordinary representational images of vast dream state emotions.

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Discography

As leader

• A New Kind of Soul , 1970
• Inner Crisis , 1973 (Groove Merchant)
• My Funny Valentine , 1988
• Just in Time , 1989
• Solo Spirit , 1992
• Tribute to Someone , 1993
• Heavy Blue , 1994
• How Do You Keep the Music Playing , 1994
• Let's Play , 1994
• Unforgettable , 1995
• Serenade , 1995
• If Trees Could Talk with Hamiet Bluiett, 1999
• Every Rung Goes Higher , 2001
• Sunshower with Kash Killion, Steve Novosel, Paul Murphy, Steve Berrios, 2001
• Sanctuary with Joe Ford, Ray Codrington, Steve Novosel, Steve Berrios, Artie Sherman and the Rick Schmidt Strings, 2003
• The Powers of Two 1+2 with Paul Murphy, 2004 und 2006
• The Big Push , 2006

As sideman

• Infinity (1965)

• Carmen Sings Monk (1988)