FATS WALLER – 1922-1926 | The Chronogical Classics – 664 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Anyone who's fallen in love with Fats Waller's music and wants to delve a bit deeper than "greatest hits" should explore what young Mr. Waller managed to achieve on phonograph records during the 1920s. American labels have been frustratingly slow to release material from this fascinating period in Waller's artistic evolution, despite the fact that he began recording at the age of 18, a full 12 years before the first Fats Waller & His Rhythm sessions initiated his fairly rapid rise to fame. Two piano solos from 1922 grant listeners an exciting glimpse of a solidly able young Waller, fresh from his personal training under James P. Johnson's wing. These two solos belong at the head of any Fats Waller piano anthology, yet they didn't make it onto Bluebird's Turn on the Heat, an otherwise excellent double CD mainly devoted to the commercially issued Victor solos from 1927-1941.
Much of the material on Classics 664 consists of female vocals (mostly blues, a few topical jazz novelties, and a somber pair of spirituals) accompanied by Waller's piano. The art of accompanying was an essential component of the Harlem stride pianist's job description, and Waller did it as skillfully as James P. Johnson. Alberta Hunter's duet with Waller is one of the best examples here, along with two titles featuring the amazing Rosa Henderson. Even the sleepier numbers featuring less-punchy vocalists are still worth absorbing and appreciating. There's a very rare example of Porter Grainger taking a vocal on Waller's "In Harlem's Araby" and a pair of funny duets featuring Sara Martin and Clarence Williams. "Squabbling Blues" must be rare indeed, as the original 78 rpm platter used in this compilation has a very rough start and even skips briefly -- -collectors expect this sort of thing from the Document label, but never from Classics. Fortunately, the song is so satisfying, one quickly forgets the technical foibles.
But the main reason to obtain a copy of this CD is for the two titles featuring Clarence Williams and his friend Clarence Todd on kazoos, with Waller's sure-footed piano and an eccentric percussionist named Justin Ring (he shows up on certain Eddie Lang sessions from the late '20s). "West Indies Blues," in particular, is the prize in this package; the sound of two grown men unashamedly wailing away on their kazoos is guaranteed to help prevent listeners from taking reality too seriously. A must for collectors and a healthy experience for all who are interested in early jazz. arwulf arwulf  
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FATS WALLER – 1926-1927 | The Classics Chronological Series – 674 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Fats Waller was the first jazz organist. He made the first jazz organ records inside a church in Camden, New Jersey that had been converted into a recording studio by the Southern Music Company. The organ solos came out on Victor Records. They form the basis for any true appreciation of Fats Waller's music; without this dimension of his work, you're only getting your kicks from hot piano, solid ensembles and funny vocals. Waller was one of several outstanding Harlem pianists whose stylistic innovations radically altered the way popular music sounded during the 1920s and '30s. Transferring that energy onto a pneumatic church instrument was Waller's most individualistic achievement. The pipe organ jazz recordings gathered together on Classics (674) are as precious as emeralds and saffron. "St. Louis Blues" takes on a profundity that is almost startling. "Lenox Avenue Blues" allows the listener direct access to a private, personal region of the soul of a place that Charles Mingus would one day describe as the artist's "innermost sacred temple." The sessions from January and February 1927 feature the pipe organ as a vehicle for rambunctious jamming. "Soothin' Syrup Stomp" is the definitive example of this wild aspect of Waller's personality. He pounds the keys of the instrument in ways that are wonderfully startling. Legend has it that Waller wanted to call one of these original pieces the Thunder Mug Stomp, until the man in charge of recording operations figured out that the title referred to a bed pan. One can only guess which tune almost got named for that noble piece of hardware. Most likely Thunder Mug became "Rusty Pail," the stomp that features a bit of stop-time tin can percussion. On May 20, 1927 Fats Waller doubled up with Alberta Hunter, a vibrant young mezzo-soprano who sang pop, blues and jazz with equal facility. "Sugar" and "Beale Street Blues" were each rendered as pipe organ solos and as vocals with organ accompaniment. Clarence Todd's beautiful, wistfully optimistic "I'm Goin' to See My Ma" was the third duet. The second-half of the May 20 recording session involved Waller as part of a quartet bearing the name of Thomas Morris & His Seven Hot Babies. Thomas Morris' cornet and Charlie Irvis' trombone interact bracingly with Waller's rapidly alternating piano and pipe organ; presumably the two keyboards were placed in close proximity to one another. The exhilarating effect of syncopated upbeat pipe organ spiked with percussion and a pair of hot horns is a treat not to be missed! The inclusion of four piano accompaniments for vocalist Maude Mills -- relatively rare stuff -- makes this disc a collector's paradise. For most of his career Waller was almost exclusively a Victor recording artist, which makes these sides unusual by virtue of having originally appeared on Banner Records. Victoria Spivey's "Black Snake Blues" comes across well enough, but "I've Got the Joogie Blues" is the real praline of the session, a worthy dessert for this essential album of early Fats Waller. arwulf arwulf  
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