Fats Domino RIP

[Ian Thumwood]

Bluesnik

I wonder if you have read "Escaping the Delta" by Elijah Wald? This book is about the history and misconceptions about the Blues but it does also contain a wealth of information about black, popular music in the 20's, 30's and 40's which , in the case of someone like Domino, could probably be extrapolated in to the next decade. The example cited in the book regarding "formulaic" music is Leroy Carr, another pianist whose output could be argued to lack variety. Wald explains that these records were never intended to be listened one after the other and were generally issued for jukebox performances where they would be jumbled up with other artist's music so that the lack of variety would not be so obvious. I suppose it is only with compilations on LPs and CDs that this problem becomes obvious whilst the context of the "singles" is entirely lost in compiling the body of an artist's worth. For what it is worth, I love Carr's playing.

[Barbirollians]

When I was a student we used to frequent an old pub that had a very mixed clientele of elderly locals and students who rubbed along together . There was an old fashioned jukebox that saw numbers 1-30 regularly updated with the latest hits 31-50 with relatively modern stuff and 51-90 with old 50s and 60s classics - Sarah Vaughan , Frank Sinatra, Winifred Atwell, Ned Miller, Frankie Laine etc but also Blueberry Hill and that is how I came to love and know Fats Domino's music .

The pub sadly became a soulless sports bar and now has been converted into some sad student flats but tonight in my mind's eye it is 1986 and Blueberry Hill is playing again.

A wonderful singer and musician RIP

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Bluesnik

I wonder if you have read "Escaping the Delta" by Elijah Wald? This book is about the history and misconceptions about the Blues but it does also contain a wealth of information about black, popular music in the 20's, 30's and 40's which , in the case of someone like Domino, could probably be extrapolated in to the next decade. The example cited in the book regarding "formulaic" music is Leroy Carr, another pianist whose output could be argued to lack variety. Wald explains that these records were never intended to be listened one after the other and were generally issued for jukebox performances where they would be jumbled up with other artist's music so that the lack of variety would not be so obvious. I suppose it is only with compilations on LPs and CDs that this problem becomes obvious whilst the context of the "singles" is entirely lost in compiling the body of an artist's worth. For what it is worth, I love Carr's playing.

I think that's a very good point Ian. I've got a four CD box set of Fats earlier output and listening to it again tonight "on the trot" it does get monotonous. But, as you say, it was never meant to be that way. These are mostly singles compiled later into albums by Imperial, not envisaged or programmed for such. As for Leroy Carr, I too think he's marvellous.

BN.

[Quarky]

Regretfully, a latecomer to enjoyment of Fats. But recently exploring his music via the gateway of Jumbalaya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eab0NY5pwEc

Hearing Max Reinhardt's tribute on LJ, I realised why I wasn't greatly enthusiastic about his music in my youth. Max played some tracks where Fats sang more in the blues/ soul shouter mode - more my style in my yoof.