| Fats Waller - If You Got To Ask, You Ain't Got It! |
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| Music Disc Reviews Audio CD | |
| Written by Scott Yanow | |
| Sunday, 01 October 2006 | |
performance: 8 sound: 7 release year: 2006 label: Bluebird/Legacy reviewed by: Scott Yanow Most of the top musicians in any genre excel in one or two specific areas. Thomas "Fats" Waller was at the top of his field in at least five different roles: pianist, organist, composer, singer and comic personality. As a stride pianist, Waller learned from the masterful James P. Johnson and in time surpassed his teacher, playing the piano with great power and yet always sounding relaxed, making the impossible sound logical. Waller was jazz's first organist, somehow swinging a huge pipe organ on records in 1926 and adapting to a more portable one in the 1940s. While "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Ain't Misbehavin'" are the best known of his songs, Waller wrote scores of other tunes, from future standards to superior obscurities. His singing, while usually humorous, could be touching as on "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter." And as a personality, few were quicker and wittier than Waller, who constantly ad-libbed on his records. He did all of this while eating, drinking and womanizing excessively, having life as one endless party. While he died of pneumonia in 1943 when he was only 39, Fats Waller certainly lived life to the fullest. Waller recorded in a variety of settings during 1922-33, including as piano soloist, on the pipe organ and in small combos, taking very few vocals before 1931. During 1934-42 he found great success leading his Rhythm, a sextet that recorded hundreds of selections, from treasures to trash. When stuck with the latter, Waller used satire and his wacky sense of humor to make the results listenable and occasionally inspired. During 1992-97, the RCA label came out with all of Waller's recordings from 1934-43 on three double-CD and three triple-CD sets, all of which are still in print. In addition, most of his early combo recordings and all of his piano solos were also reissued. Now the BMG/Sony company has repackaged some of the same music as a three-CD set. Obviously this is not a box for Waller collectors but more recommended for general enthusiasts, since there is nothing new or terribly rare included. But as a sampling of Waller's music, this attractive reissue works well. The first disc, titled "Fats Waller Sings and Plays Fats Waller," dates from 1934-43 and features Waller with his Rhythm and, in three cases, a larger orchestra. All 22 songs are by him, and in addition to the hits ("Honeysuckle Rose," "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby," "The Joint is Jumpin'," "Squeeze Me" and "Ain't Misbehavin'") there are such forgotten numbers as "Sugar Rose," "Lost Love," "A Hopeless Love Affair," "Patty Cake, Patty Cake" and "Cash for Your Trash." Not every selection is a gem but they are each fun. Disc two, called "Strictly Instrumental," has a Waller pipe organ solo on "St. Louis Blues," two numbers with the Louisiana Sugar Babes," 10 piano solos and nine instrumentals including "The Jitterbug Waltz" and a version of "Honeysuckle Rose" from an all-star group with Bunny Berigan and Tommy Dorsey. The final disc, "Fats Sings and Plays Around with Tin Pan Alley," has Waller (mostly with his Rhythm) tearing into songs by others including rambunctious versions of "You're Not the Only Oyster in the Stew," "Somebody Stole My Gal," "Hold Tight," "Your Feet's Too Big" and "You Run Your Mouth, I'll Run My Business." So what is missing? There is very little included of Waller's hot band sides of 1927-29 and no Waller set feels complete without "Handful of Keys" (a major omission), "You've Been Taking Lessons in Love," "I've Got My Fingers Crossed," "The Curse of an Aching Heart," "Floatin' Down to Cotton Town" and "Swingin' Them Jingle Bells." But overall, producer Orrin Keepnews did a fine job of compiling nearly all the essential Fats Waller recordings on one set. The 100-page booklet is also quite attractive and informative. As pianist, singer, organist, composer and personality, Fats Waller is well served by this reissue. It is the kind of box that would make a perfect gift for someone who does not own many Waller performances and finds his brand of swinging and witty jazz to be irresistible. Sound Victor was famous in the 1920s and '30s for its care in recording performances, with clean surfaces and fairly lifelike reproduction. Compare a typical Victor record from 1926 with one from Paramount if you want to hear an extreme difference in approach and competence. Of course recording quality has undergone several revolutions since then, but considering the age of these selections, the Fats Waller catalog is in fine shape. I cannot hear much difference at all from this reissue and the more comprehensive Waller boxes of the 1990s, but since the latter was perfectly done, that’s a good thing. Like this article? Bookmark and share with any of the sites below.        |
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