I picked up this neat little 10" LP at an antique store in the strip. I'd heard some of Fats Waller before, but listening to these recordings, which have a kind of innocence and purity about them, I can only imagine what it was like to hear a young man play like that for the first time. There is so much complexity and richness of detail in his playing, but at the same time it comes across as completely effortless. It almost feels like Fats himself is in awe of his talent, and maybe a little afraid of it.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Young Fats Waller: Early Piano Solos
I picked up this neat little 10" LP at an antique store in the strip. I'd heard some of Fats Waller before, but listening to these recordings, which have a kind of innocence and purity about them, I can only imagine what it was like to hear a young man play like that for the first time. There is so much complexity and richness of detail in his playing, but at the same time it comes across as completely effortless. It almost feels like Fats himself is in awe of his talent, and maybe a little afraid of it.
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I believe the "X" record label was an RCA/Bluebird offshoot. Don't you just LOVE the cover graphics?
ReplyDeleteThose old 2-color designs on early LPs (especially the 10-inch variety) can be truly inspiring. Artists working within limitations...
Waller was quite aware of just how damned good he was. What confounded him was that he was constricted into a single type of music that everyone expected him to write and perform.
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