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Jazz Articles about Fats Waller
Fats Waller: If You Got To Ask, You Ain't Got It!
by David Rickert
Fats Waller If You Got To Ask, You Ain't Got It! Bluebird Jazz 2006
The first thing that strikes you about Fats Waller's music is how much fun it is. Today we recognize Waller as one of the first geniuses of jazz, both as a composer and as a musician, but jazz is serious business now and it's hard to imagine a guy like Waller doing his thing today.
This is probably why Waller ...
read moreFats Waller
by Tim Kirker
1904-1943Fats Waller's jazz legacy is an unlikely combination of pianist, composer, singer, and comedian. Sometimes referred to as the greatest comedian who ever played jazz, Fats' appeal was as much visual as it was musical. From his physical presence (he had a huge girth and wore a size 15 shoe) and wildly arched eyebrows to his appetite for life and boisterous showmanship, Fats was an irresistible performer. Foremost, he was a master of stride piano playing. His recordings ...
read moreFats Waller: The Centennial Collection
by Mark Corroto
The centennial of Thomas Fats" Waller’s birth is yet another good reason to release another collection of his recordings. This one is a nice accumulation of songs (don’t know why “Jitterbug Waltz” is missing), enough to whet newcomers' appetites. Plus, this disc includes a bonus DVD of footage from King of Burlesque and an animated version of “Your Feets Too Big.” The music video" shows Waller as a jester and entertainer, mugging for the camera. I’ll leave the cultural criticism ...
read moreFats Waller: The 1935 Transcriptions
by C. Michael Bailey
Ain't Misbehavin'...
Born in Waverley, New York in 1904, raised in Harlem, and schooled by his mother, James P. Johnson, Karl Bohm, and Leopold Godowsky, Thomas Fats" Waller would have been a giant in American music history without his happy gargantuan personality. A personality, in fact, so big, that his showmanship has often overshadowed his considerable pianistic talent and technique. I admit, it is hard to watch Stormy Weather and see Waller mugging and singing Ain't Misbehavin'" and take him ...
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