Although I love vintage jazz I have a real problem with Fats Waller. Granted he may have had a technique that very few jazz pianists have since possessed and a sense of swing that was irrepressible, I have always regarded his music with great suspicion. The solo piano recordings I have heard are fascinating and I think mark him out as the greatest of the stride pianists. Coupled with that, he was also capable of crafting some terrific songs including "Black and blue" which hinted at the profoundness of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit." A lot of his music is also great fun to listen to and there is an enjoyable romping quality in performances of his "Rhythm."
However, if I was around in the 1930's when Waller was at his peak, I feel that I would have still snubbed him as his approach mixed an antiquated piano style with jive-hipness that would have placed his music squarely in the commercial box. With the passage of time his ultimate "Uncle Tom" act is almost unbearable and overshadows the musical merits where they are not lost in the once fashionable style of the time. In short, Waller's music has not stood the test of time very well and certainly lacks the gravitas accorded to the more "serious" small groups of the time whether led by Ellington, Goodman, Kirby, Norvo or even the proud, last recordings of Jelly Roll Morton. Small wonder that Mingus was inspired to compose the satirical "Eat that chicken" in Waller's honour.
Waller is a big hole in my jazz listening and I have absolutely nothing by him in my collection - tracks like "Your feet's too big" ensure that I will probably never redress this. I've been listening to the new Fats waller tribute album by Jason Moran today. For me, Moran is the most interesting young jazz pianist on today's scene and in the past he has created miracles with his avant garde stride approach with tracks like "Modernistic" bringing fresh life to the wonderful James P Johnson and "Kinda Dukish" demonstrating his debt to Ellington. The Waller album is a bit hit and miss. Some of the tracks misfire and the preponderance of singer and soul grooves make this not as interesting as it could have been. I was hoping for a post-modern take on Waller and whilst this clearly happens on some of the tracks, I'd forgotten how good some tunes like "Two sleepy people" and "Yacht club swing" are. At it's best, the Monkish playfulness will always ensure that Jason Moran is worth a listen yet other numbers like "Ain't nobody's business" seem really wide of the mark. A missed opportunity and shame that Moran didn't elect for the strident approach of the JR Morton tunes on Eric Revis' "Parallax" album which might have been more in keeping with what Waller's music needed and perhaps made me interested enough to explore Fats' more fully.
However, if I was around in the 1930's when Waller was at his peak, I feel that I would have still snubbed him as his approach mixed an antiquated piano style with jive-hipness that would have placed his music squarely in the commercial box. With the passage of time his ultimate "Uncle Tom" act is almost unbearable and overshadows the musical merits where they are not lost in the once fashionable style of the time. In short, Waller's music has not stood the test of time very well and certainly lacks the gravitas accorded to the more "serious" small groups of the time whether led by Ellington, Goodman, Kirby, Norvo or even the proud, last recordings of Jelly Roll Morton. Small wonder that Mingus was inspired to compose the satirical "Eat that chicken" in Waller's honour.
Waller is a big hole in my jazz listening and I have absolutely nothing by him in my collection - tracks like "Your feet's too big" ensure that I will probably never redress this. I've been listening to the new Fats waller tribute album by Jason Moran today. For me, Moran is the most interesting young jazz pianist on today's scene and in the past he has created miracles with his avant garde stride approach with tracks like "Modernistic" bringing fresh life to the wonderful James P Johnson and "Kinda Dukish" demonstrating his debt to Ellington. The Waller album is a bit hit and miss. Some of the tracks misfire and the preponderance of singer and soul grooves make this not as interesting as it could have been. I was hoping for a post-modern take on Waller and whilst this clearly happens on some of the tracks, I'd forgotten how good some tunes like "Two sleepy people" and "Yacht club swing" are. At it's best, the Monkish playfulness will always ensure that Jason Moran is worth a listen yet other numbers like "Ain't nobody's business" seem really wide of the mark. A missed opportunity and shame that Moran didn't elect for the strident approach of the JR Morton tunes on Eric Revis' "Parallax" album which might have been more in keeping with what Waller's music needed and perhaps made me interested enough to explore Fats' more fully.
Comment