The Fats Waller Collection 1922-43

This is part of a mini-series on our competitively priced budget label Fabulous under the banner of Jazz Legends, presenting some of great and influential names of jazz, with recordings drawn from the classic era of the genre’s development between 1920 and 1950. Thomas “Fats” Waller was a hugely popular and equally influential pianist, organist, singer, composer and comedic entertainer during the formative decades of jazz, and his unique style, and memorable hit songs earned him a special place in the world of entertainment, transcending the boundaries between jazz and wider popular culture, and enjoying success on both sides of the Atlantic. Waller was a pioneer of the stride piano style distinctively associated with Harlem, and it was the basis of many of the hits he wrote, which have become perennially popular standards such as “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Ain’t Misbehaving”, among many others. This collection traces his career from his first recordings in the early ‘20s through to just before his untimely death in 1943, when he appeared in the movie “Stormy Weather”, and features him performing both on piano and organ, singing hits recorded with quintet or sextet “Fats Waller & His Rhythm”, and also accompanying Adelaide Hall. It’s an enjoyable snapshot of a great artist’s work.