kulu se mama Posted July 20, 2004 Report Posted July 20, 2004 somehow in all my jazz purchasing over the years i managed to miss fats waller. i stumbled across "the early years part 1" on rca/bluebird at a used store. it was cheap, out of print, and i was looking for something to buy. oh my god. how did i pass over all of those great rca sets so many times over the years and not know what joy they contained. any help in locating some of these wonderful sets would be greatly appreciated. Quote
brownie Posted July 20, 2004 Report Posted July 20, 2004 (edited) Kulu, welcome to the Club!: http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...&hl=fats+waller and where have you been all this time http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...&hl=fats+waller Edited July 20, 2004 by brownie Quote
kulu se mama Posted July 20, 2004 Author Report Posted July 20, 2004 thanks for the links brownie. i did a search on fats before i started the thread. i think i had the improper perception that fats was just a comdian that played the piano a little. what a missconception that was. Quote
couw Posted July 20, 2004 Report Posted July 20, 2004 no doubt the guy had a BIG sense of humour. I love how he messes up some of the silly novelty songs he had to work with. Quote
jazzbo Posted July 20, 2004 Report Posted July 20, 2004 Man, the piano that man could play! And the way he interpreted songs, his voice and its swing and expressiveness. He could really polish lemons! If only he had been around a few more decades! Quote
BruceH Posted July 21, 2004 Report Posted July 21, 2004 In addition to everything else, the man was a keyboard demon!! Quote
Shrdlu Posted July 21, 2004 Report Posted July 21, 2004 Nice to see Fats being talked about again. Anytime! He's been a favorite of mine since I was about 4. It was a delight, about 5 years ago, to be able to get all of his RCA Victor recordings (in other words, nearly everything that he recorded) after all these years. There are about 13 CDs, and the best ones are all of them! About 2 years ago, a friend sent me some burns of just about every other recording that Fats made, but there was not a lot there to rival the Victor recordings made under his own name. A notable exception is the collection of Muzak recordings and the V disk material made in 1943. If only he had lived for a normal lifespan! I often wonder what he would have thought of later developments in the music, such as the vast improvements in bass playing, and the ability to make records longer than 78s. Sometimes I imagine odd things like him playing with Elvin Jones - I think it would have worked. Quote
jazzbo Posted July 21, 2004 Report Posted July 21, 2004 I have fourteen volumes on King Jazz of all his "and Rhythm" recordings and love them. (And that's not all there is because they deleted the organ sides because they didn't like the way he played organ, and they didn't include the solo sides on Victor or the sides with Bushnell and Jabbo, and. . . !) I like quite a bit of the transcription and live recordings as well, and sideman appearances, and . . . well . . . eventually I have to have it ALL. Quote
BruceH Posted July 22, 2004 Report Posted July 22, 2004 It was a delight, about 5 years ago, to be able to get all of his RCA Victor recordings (in other words, nearly everything that he recorded) after all these years. There are about 13 CDs, and the best ones are all of them! You've sure got THAT right! Quote
Harold_Z Posted July 22, 2004 Report Posted July 22, 2004 Fats the piano player Fats the singer Fats the composer ....and it's ALL good. Nah...GREAT! He had it goin' on ! Never a dull moment with Fats. Lon's got it right. GET EVERYTHING !! Quote
brownie Posted July 22, 2004 Report Posted July 22, 2004 I hope that one day RCA will do the complete Fats Waller box, the same way they did the Duke Ellington Centennial edition. But the Fats Waller Centennial has just gone by without anybody at RCA (or what's left ot it) noticing. In the meantime I will keep the numerous Waller LPs that French RCA issued in the '70s in their Black/White series. Sound on those was excellent and the people that researched it worked from original masters. I have not been really impressed with the sound from these recordings I have heard on the various CD reissues. Quote
LAL Posted July 22, 2004 Report Posted July 22, 2004 Does anyone own the "Fats Waller Portrait" box sets by the Documents label? How's the sound quality, are the selections close to complete? Each box has 10CDs and a 40 page booklet apparently. Seems like a decent deal at under $50. Quote
brownie Posted July 24, 2004 Report Posted July 24, 2004 Since RCA did not properly celebrate Fats Waller's Centennial, Proper Records did it. They have just released another one of their 4CD box 'Fats Waller, Handful of Keys' that looks interesting for Fats Waller wannabees: http://www.propermusic.com/ Click on the Proper box sets then search for Fats Waller. Discography and Track Listings are provided. Quote
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