Was eight decades a galling length of time to have waited? Naturally. But better late than never.
Their classical works were discussed as they premiered, yet were rarely programmed twice. Nor were they properly documented on recordings. That last bit of the story is what's changing, starting this week.
Both Johnson and Williams were era-defining composers and improvising pianists: Johnson was an exemplar of Harlem stride and the author of the Charleston; Williams matured as a composer and player in the crucible of Kansas City's boogie-woogie style, before arranging for Ellington and tutoring lions of bebop in New York.
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