Not only was Fats Waller one of the greatest pianists jazz has ever known, he was also one of its most exuberantly funny entertainers -- and as so often happens, one facet tends to obscure the other. His extraordinarily light and flexible touch belied his ample physical girth; he could swing as hard as any pianist alive or dead in his classic James P. Johnson-derived stride manner, with a powerful left hand delivering the octaves and tenths in a tireless, rapid, seamless stream. Waller also pioneered the use of the pipe organ and Hammond organ in jazz -- he called the pipe organ the "God box" -- adapting his irresistible sense of swing to the pedals and a staccato right hand while making imaginative changes of the registration. As a composer and improviser, his melodic invention rarely flagged, and he contributed fistfuls of joyous yet paradoxically winsome songs like "Honeysuckle Rose," "Ain't Misbehavin,'" "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now," "Blue Turning Grey Over You" and the extraordinary "Jitterbug Waltz" to the jazz repertoire.
During his lifetime and afterwards, though, Fats Waller was best known to the world for his outsized comic personality and sly vocals, where he would send up trashy tunes that Victor Records made him record with his nifty combo, Fats Waller & His Rhythm. Yet on virtually any of his records, whether the song is an evergreen standard or the most trite bit of doggerel that a Tin Pan Alley hack could serve up, you will hear a winning combination of good knockabout humor, foot-tapping rhythm and fantastic piano playing. Today, almost all of Fats Waller's studio recordings can be found on RCA's on-again-off-again series The Complete Fats Waller, which commenced on LPs in 1975 and was still in progress during the 1990s.
Thomas "Fats" Waller came from a Harlem household where his father was a Baptist lay preacher and his mother played piano and organ. Waller took up the piano at age six, playing in a school orchestra led by Edgar Sampson (of Chick Webb fame). After his mother died when he was 14, Waller moved into the home of pianist Russell Brooks, where he met and studied with James P. Johnson. Later, Waller also received classical lessons from Carl Bohm and the famous pianist Leopold Godowsky. After making his first record at age 18 for Okeh in 1922, "Birmingham Blues"/"'Muscle Shoals Blues,"" he backed various blues singers and worked as house pianist and organist at rent parties and in movie theaters and clubs. He began to attract attention as a composer during the early- and mid-'20s, forming a most fruitful alliance with lyricist Andy Razaf that resulted in three Broadway shows in the late '20s, Keep Shufflin', Load of Coal, and Hot Chocolates.
Waller started making records for Victor in 1926; his most significant early records for that label were a series of brilliant 1929 solo piano sides of his own compositions like "Handful of Keys" and "Smashing Thirds." After finally signing an exclusive Victor contract in 1934, he began the long-running, prolific series of records with His Rhythm, which won him great fame and produced several hits, including "Your Feet's Too Big," "The Joint Is Jumpin'" and "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter." He began to appear in films like Hooray for Love and King of Burlesque in 1935 while continuing regular appearances on radio that dated back to 1923. He toured Europe in 1938, made organ recordings in London for HMV, and appeared on one of the first television broadcasts. He returned to London the following spring to record his most extensive composition, "London Suite" for piano and percussion, and embark on an extensive continental tour (which, alas, was canceled by fears of impending war with Germany). Well aware of the popularity of big bands in the '30s, Waller tried to form his own, but they were short-lived.
Into the 1940s, Waller's touring schedule of the U.S. escalated, he contributed music to another musical, Early to Bed, the film appearances kept coming (including a memorable stretch of Stormy Weather where he led an all-star band that included Benny Carter, Slam Stewart and Zutty Singleton), the recordings continued to flow, and he continued to eat and drink in extremely heavy quantities. Years of draining alimony squabbles, plus overindulgence and, no doubt, frustration over not being taken more seriously as an artist, began to wear the pianist down. Finally, after becoming ill during a gig at the Zanzibar Room in Hollywood in December, 1943, Waller boarded the Santa Fe Chief train for the long trip back to New York. He never made it, dying of pneumonia aboard the train during a stop at Union Station in Kansas City.
While every clown longs to play Hamlet as per the cliche -- and Waller did have so-called serious musical pretensions, longing to follow in George Gershwin's footsteps and compose concert music -- it probably was not in the cards anyway due to the racial barriers of the first half of the 20th century. Besides, given the fact that Waller influenced a long line of pianists of and after his time, including Count Basie (who studied with Fats), Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum, Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck and others, his impact has been truly profound.
The Early Years (1934-1936)
Part 1: Breakin' the Ice (1934-1935)
CD1:
01. A Porter's Love Song to a Chambermaid (3:22)
02. I Wish I Were Twins (2:41)
03. Armful o' Sweetness (3:03)
04. Do Me a Favor (3:11)
05. Georgia May (2:37)
06. Then I'll Be Tired of You (3:10)
07. Don't Let It Bother You (2:51)
08. Have a Little Dream on Me (2:46)
09. Serenade for a Wealthy Widow (instrumental) (2:38)
10. How Can You Face Me? (2:47)
11. Sweetie Pie (3:05)
12. Mandy (2:31)
13. Let's Pretend There's a Moon (3:28)
14. You're Not the Only Oyster in the Stew (3:13)
15. Honeysuckle Rose (2:39)
16. Believe It, Beloved (2:41)
17. Dream Man (Make Me Dream Some More) (2:59)
18. I'm Growing Fonder of You (3:20)
19. If It Isn't Love (2:55)
20. Breakin' the Ice (3:17)
21. I'm a Hundred Percent for You (3:07)
22. I'm a Hundred Percent for You (instrumental) (3:04)
CD2:
01. Baby Brown (3:14)
02. Baby Brown (instrumental) (2:34)
03. Night Wind (3:22)
04. Because of Once upon a Time (3:14)
05. I Believe in Miracles (2:55)
06. You Fit into the Picture (2:29)
07. Louisiana Fairy Tale (3:28)
08. I Ain't Got Nobody (and Nobody Cares for Me) (2:50)
09. I Ain't Got Nobody (instrumental) (2:51)
10. Whose Honey Are You? (2:37)
11. Whose Honey Are You? (instrumental) (3:08)
12. Rosetta (3:00)
13. Rosetta (instrumental) (2:49)
14. Pardon My Love (3:06)
15. What's The Reason (I'm Not Pleasin' You) (2:50)
16. What's The Reason (instrumental) (2:49)
17. Cinders (3:00)
18. (Oh Suzannah) Dust Off That Old Pianna (2:34)
19. Lulu's Back in Town (2:37)
20. Sweet and Slow (3:32)
21. You've Been Taking Lessons in Love (from Somebody New) (3:08)
22. You're the Cutest One (3:22)
Part 2: I'm Gonna Sit Right Down (1935-1936)
CD1:
01. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter (3:32)
02. Hate to Talk About Myself (2:42)
03. Dinah (3:08)
04. Take It Easy (3:12)
05. You're the Picture (3:39)
06. My Very Good Friend the Milkman (3:33)
07. Blue Because of You (2:56)
08. There's Going to Be the Devil to Pay (2:29)
09. Twelfth Street Rag (2:49)
10. There'll Be Some Changes Made (3:09)
11. Somebody Stole My Gal (3:29)
12. Sweet Sue - Just You (take 1) (2:54)
13. Sweet Sue - Just You (take 2) (2:56)
14. Truckin' (3:20)
15. Sugar Blues (2:50)
16. As Long as the World Goes Round and Round (3:06)
17. Georgia Rockin' Chair (2:44)
18. Brother Seek and Ye Shall Find (2:50)
19. The Girl I Left Behind Me (3:15)
20. You're So Darn Charming (2:45)
21. Woe! Is Me (2:57)
22. Rhythm and Romance (3:13)
CD2:
01. Loafin' Time (2:30)
02. A Sweet Beginning Like This (2:52)
03. Got a Bran' New Suit (2:36)
04. I'm on a See-Saw (3:02)
05. Thief in the Night (2:52)
06. When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful (3:40)
07. I've Got My Fingers Crossed (2:40)
08. Spreadin' Rhythm Around (2:43)
09. A Little Bit Independent (2:57)
10. You Stayed Away Too Long (3:13)
11. Sweet Thing (3:23)
12. Fat and Greasy (take 1) (3:11)
13. Fat and Greasy (take 2) (3:09)
14. Functionizin' (instrumental) (3:07)
15. I Got Rhythm (3:11)
16. The Panic Is On (3:17)
17. Sugar Rose (3:12)
18. Oooh! Look-a There, Ain't She Pretty? (2:34)
19. Moon Rose (2:55)
20. West Wind (3:36)
21. That Never-To-Be-Forgotten Night (3:14)
22. Sing an Old Fashioned Song (3:23)
23. Garbo Green (3:00)
Part 3: Fractious Fingering (1936)
CD1:
01. All My Life (2:48)
02. Christopher Columbus (A Rhythm Cocktail) (2:52)
03. Cross Patch (3:28)
04. It's No Fun (2:47)
05. Cabin in the Sun (3:26)
06. Us on a Bus (2:42)
07. Stay (2:48)
08. It's a Sin to Lie (2:56)
09. The More I Know You (2:22)
10. You're Not the Kind (3:06)
11. Why Do I Lie to Myself About You (2:52)
12. Let's Sing Again (2:19)
13. Big Chief De Sota (2:54)
14. Black Raspberry Jam (instrumental) (2:38)
15. Bach Up to Me (instrumental) (2:40)
16. Fractious Fingering (instrumental) (2:42)
17. Paswonky (instrumental) (2:34)
18. Lounging at the Waldorf (instrumental) (2:58)
19. Latch On (instrumental) (3:06)
20. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby (And My Baby's Crazy 'Bout Me) (2:18)
21. I Just Made Up with That Old Girl of Mine (2:52)
CD2:
01. (It Will Have to Do) Until the Real Thing Comes Along (3:26)
02. There Goes My Attraction (2:13)
03. The Curse of an Aching Heart (take 1) (2:31)
04. The Curse of an Aching Heart (take 2) (2:27)
05. Bye Bye, Baby (2:20)
06. S'posin' (2:52)
07. Copper Colored Gal (2:53)
08. I'm at the Mercy of Love (3:05)
09. Floatin' Down to Cotton Town (2:20)
10. La-De-De La-De-Da (3:01)
11. Hallelujah! Things Look Rosey Now (2:42)
12. Hallelujah! Things Look Rosey Now (instrumental) (2:39)
13. 'Tain't Good (Like a Nickel Made of Wood) (2:21)
14. 'Tain't Good (Like a Nickel Made of Wood) (instrumental) (2:19)
15. Swingin' Them Jingle Bells (2:58)
16. Swingin' Them Jingle Bells (instrumental) (2:57)
17. A Thousand Dreams of You (2:55)
18. A Thousand Dreams of You (instrumental) (2:57)
19. A Rhyme for Love (2:43)
20. I Adore You (2:48)
The Middle Years (1936-1940)
Part 1 (1936-1938)
CD1:
01. Havin' a Ball (3:00)
02. I'm Sorry I Made You Cry (2:50)
03. Who's Afraid of Love? (2:57)
04. Please Keep Me in Your Dreams (2:34)
05. One in a Million (2:46)
06. Nero (2:43)
07. You're Laughing at Me (2:35)
08. I Can't Break the Habit of You (2:51)
09. Did Anyone Ever Tell You? (2:39)
10. When Love Is Young (2:46)
11. The Meanest Thing You Ever Did Was Kiss Me (3:08)
12. Cryin' Mood (2:43)
13. Where Is the Sun? (2:37)
14. Old Plantation (2:41)
15. To a Sweet Pretty Thing (2:31)
16. You've Been Reading My Mail (2:24)
17. Spring Cleaning (2:29)
18. You Showed Me the Way (2:58)
19. You Showed Me the Way (instrumental) (2:54)
20. Boo-Hoo (instrumental) (2:40)
21. The Love Bug Will Bite You (If You Don't Watch Out) (instrumental) (2:16)
22. San Anton' (2:35)
23. San Anton' (instrumental) (2:36)
24. I've Got a New Lease on Love (2:21)
25. I've Got a New Lease on Love (instrumental) (2:18)
CD2:
01. Sweet Heartache (3:20)
02. Sweet Heartache (instrumental) (3:12)
03. Honeysuckle Rose (instrumental) (4:32)
04. Smarty (You Know It All) (2:40)
05. Don't You Know or Don't You Care (3:26)
06. Lost Love (3:06)
07. I'm Gonna Put You in Your Place (2:30)
08. Blue, Turning Grey over You (instrumental) (4:24)
09. You've Got Me Under Your Thumb (2:50)
10. Beat It Out (2:11)
11. Our Love Was Meant to Be (3:31)
12. I'd Rather Call You Baby (3:05)
13. I'm Always in the Mood for You (3:20)
14. She's Tall, She's Tan, She's Terrific (2:38)
15. You're My Dish (2:49)
16. More Power to You (2:58)
17. How Can I (With You in My Heart)? (3:04)
18. The Joint Is Jumpin' (2:49)
19. A Hopeless Love Affair (3:16)
20. What Will I Do in the Morning? (3:07)
21. How Ya, Baby (2:27)
22. Jealous of Me (2:51)
CD3:
01. Every Day's a Holiday (3:21)
02. Neglected (3:28)
03. My Window Faces the South (3:14)
04. Am I in Another World? (3:09)
05. Why Do Hawaiians Sing Aloha? (3:11)
06. My First Impression of You (3:10)
07. On the Sunny Side of the Street (3:34)
08. Georgia on My Mind (3:28)
09. Something Tells Me (3:01)
10. I Love to Whistle (2:41)
11. You Went to My Head (3:14)
12. Florida Flo (2:50)
13. Lost and Found (2:57)
14. Don't Try to Cry Your Way Back to Me (2:45)
15. Marie (2:40)
16. In the Gloaming (instrumental) (3:23)
17. You Had an Ev'ning to Spare (2:51)
18. Let's Break the Good News (3:02)
19. Skrontch (3:31)
20. I Simply Adore You (3:25)
21. The Sheik of Araby (3:07)
22. Hold My Hand (3:00)
23. Inside (3:09)
Part 2: A Good Man Is Hard to Find (1938-1940)
CD1:
01. In the Gloaming (take 1) (3:17)
02. I Simply Adore You (take 2) (3:25)
03. The Sheik of Araby (take 1) (3:06)
04. Hold My Hand (take 1) (2:58)
05. Inside (take 1) (3:07)
06. There's Honey on the Moon Tonight (2:37)
07. If I Were You (2:58)
08. (Take Me Back To) The Wide Open Places (2:22)
09. On the Bumpy Road to Love (2:36)
10. Fair and Square (2:42)
11. We, The People (2:22)
12. Two Sleepy People (3:05)
13. Shame! Shame! (Everybody Knows Your Game) (2:39)
14. I'll Never Forgive Myself (For Not Forgiving You) (2:50)
15. You Look Good to Me (take 1) (3:13)
16. You Look Good to Me (take 2) (2:42)
17. Tell Me with Your Kisses (3:13)
18. Yacht Club Swing (3:02)
19. Love, I'd Give My Life for You (2:17)
20. I Wish I Had You (2:44)
21. I'll Dance at Your Wedding (take 1) (2:41)
22. I'll Dance at Your Wedding (take 2) (2:34)
23. Imagine My Surprise (2:30)
CD2:
01. I Won't Believe It (Till I Hear from You) (2:58)
02. The Spider and the Fly (3:08)
03. Patty Cake, Patty Cake (Baker Man) (3:16)
04. A Good Man Is Hard to Find (take 1) (3:05)
05. A Good Man Is Hard to Find (take 2) (2:58)
06. You Outsmarted Yourself (2:47)
07. Last Night a Miracle Happened (3:35)
08. Good for Nothin' But Love (3:30)
09. Hold Tight (Want Some Sea Food, Mama) (2:16)
10. Kiss Me with Your Eyes (take 1) (3:10)
11. Kiss Me with Your Eyes (take 2) (3:05)
12. You Asked for It - You Got It (2:40)
13. Some Rainy Day (3:23)
14. 'Tain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It) (2:51)
15. Got No Time (3:28)
16. Step Up and Shake My Hand (2:39)
17. Undecided (3:38)
18. Remember Who You're Promised To (2:30)
19. Honey Hush (3:18)
20. I Used to Love You (But It's All Over Now) (2:51)
21. Wait and See (3:08)
22. You Meet the Nicest People in Your Dreams (2:51)
CD3:
01. Anita (3:15)
02. What a Pretty Miss (2:35)
03. Squeeze Me (3:10)
04. Bless You (3:19)
05. It's the Tune That Counts (3:04)
06. Abdullah (2:58)
07. Who'll Take My Place (When I Am Gone) (2:56)
08. Bond Street (3:15)
09. It's You Who Taught It to Me (2:43)
10. Suitcase Susie (2:46)
11. Your Feet's Too Big (3:06)
12. Your're Lettin' the Grass Grow Under Your Feet (3:19)
13. Darktown Strutters' Ball (2:43)
14. I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby (take 1) (2:58)
15. I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby (take 2) (3:10)
16. Swinga-Dilla Street (2:46)
17. At Twilight (3:22)
18. Oh, Frenchy (3:04)
19. Cheatin' on Me (3:12)
20. Black Maria (3:14)
21. Mighty Fine (3:03)
22. The Moon Is Low (3:07)
23. The Moon Is Low (Part 2) (2:48)
The Last Years (1940-1943)
CD1
01. Old Grand Dad (2:47)
02. Fat and Greasy (3:07)
03. Little Curly Hair in a High Chair (3:10)
04. (You're A) Square from Delaware (2:57)
05. You Run Your Mouth, I'll Run My Business (3:28)
06. Too Tired (2:57)
07. "Send Me" Jackson (3:15)
08. Eep, Ipe, Wanna Piece of Pie (2:47)
09. Stop Pretending (3:07)
10. I'll Never Smile Again (3:08)
11. My Mommie Sent Me to the Store (3:00)
12. Dry Bones (3:20)
13. Fats Waller's Original E Flat Blues (3:15)
14. Stayin' at Home (3:27)
15. Hey! Stop Kissin' My Sister (2:48)
16. Everybody Loves My Baby (2:56)
17. I'm Gonna Salt Away Some Sugar (3:17)
18. 'Tain't Nobody's Biz-Ness If I Do (3:00)
19. Abercrombie Had a Zombie (3:25)
20. Blue Eyes (2:42)
21. Scram! (2:43)
22. My Melancholy Baby (2:28)
CD2
01. Mamacita (2:43)
02. Liver Lip Jones (3:02)
03. Buckin' the Dice (3:29)
04. Pantin' in the Panther Room (3:03)
05. Come Down to Earth, My Angel (3:12)
06. Shortnin' Bread (2:41)
07. I Repent (3:27)
08. Do You Have to Go? (3:18)
09. Pan-Pan (3:02)
10. I Wanna Hear Swing Songs (3:18)
11. You're Gonna Be Sorry (3:29)
12. All That Meat and No Potatoes (2:47)
13. Let's Get Away from It All (3:00)
14. Twenty Four Robbers (2:43)
15. I Understand (3:11)
16. Sad Sap Sucker Am I (3:03)
17. Headlines in the News (3:03)
18. Chant of the Groove (3:05)
19. Come and Get It (2:41)
20. Rump Steak Serenade (2:40)
21. Ain't Nothin' to It (3:10)
CD3
01. Oh Baby, Sweet Baby (2:49)
02. Buck Jumpin' (2:38)
03. That Gets It, Mr. Joe (2:47)
04. The Bells of San Raquel (2:41)
05. Bessie, Bessie, Bessie (3:00)
06. Clarinet Marmalade (2:44)
07. Winter Weather (3:18)
08. Cash for Your Trash (3:23)
09. Don't Give Me That Jive (2:50)
10. Your Socks Don't Match (3:06)
11. We Need a Little Love (3:21)
12. You Must Be Losing Your Mind (2:33)
13. Really Fine (3:11)
14. The Jitterbug Waltz (3:22)
15. By the Light of the Silvery Moon (3:12)
16. Swing Out to Victory (2:35)
17. Up Jumped You with Love (3:17)
18. Romance a la Mode (3:20)
19. Moppin' and Boppin' (4:29)
20. Ain't Misbehavin' (3:57)
