View of singer Fats Domino, playing the piano. Handwritten on back: "Fats Domino, 'Walking,' 3-21-60."
E. Azalia Hackley Collection of African Americans in the Performing Arts, Detroit Public Library
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Fats Waller was jazz musician, composer, performer, an actor, and he had a memorable “joie de vivre”. Behind the piano, he could work out songs at a very fast pace. He must have composed 400 hundred or more. He sold many of them when he had financial difficulties.
An imposing figure with facial expressions while he was singing. He played what could be an earlier version of the jazz we know today called Stride style. It involves playing a syncopated rhythm with your left hand, included the bass, while your right hand is improvising and playing the melody.
We owe him songs such as “Ain’t Misbehavin” and “Honeysuckle rose”. He was extremely popular during his short life, he died at 39 of pneumonia. I hope some day, we’ll have a movie about his life and his accomplishment. Jazz owes him a great deal.
Fats Waller était un musicien de jazz, compositeur, homme de scène, acteur et il avait une joie de vivre légendaire. Derrière son piano, il pouvait composer des chansons à un rythme très rapide. Il doit en avoir composé 400 ou plus. Il en vendait plusieurs quand il avait des difficultés financières.
Un homme imposant physiquement, il aimait faire des expressions faciales quand il chantait. Il jouait ce qu’on pourrait appeler une version précédente du jazz contemporain appelé Stride style. Il s’agit de garder le rythme de la main gauche, incluant la bass , pendant que la main droite s’occupe de l’improvisation et de la mélodie.
Nous lui devons des chansons comme « Ain’t Misbehavin », « Honeysuckle Rose ». Il fut extrêmement populaire durant sa vie courte, il est mort à 39 ans de pneumonie. J’espère qu’un jour, on aura droit à un film sur sa vie et ses accomplissements. Le jazz lui doit beaucoup.
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During Fats Waller era of the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most popular performers and pianists, reaching high levels of popularity in the U.S. and Europe.
In 1927, he signed with Victor Records, the company he would work with for the rest of his life. Some of the many hits he was responsible for include "Ain't Misbehaving", "Squeeze Me", and "Honesuckle Rose."
In 1926, his skills as a performer were noticed so much, that Al Capone's henchmen kidnapped Waller at gunpoint after a performance in Chicago. It turned out it was as surprise guest at a young Capone's birthday party at the Hawthorne Inn (Capone was 27 at the time). As the story goes, they party raged for 3 days straight, Waller earning thousands of dollars as tips for song requests.
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Durante la era de Fats Waller, los años 1920 y 1930, este fue uno de los artistas y pianistas más populares. Alcanzó altos niveles de popularidad en Europa y Estados Unidos.
En 1927, firmó con Víctor Records, la compañía con la cual trabajaría por el resto de su vida. Se le responsabiliza por muchos éxitos, incluyendo: “Ain't Misbehaving", "Squeeze Me", y "Honesuckle Rose."
En 1926, sus habilidades como artista fueron tan notadas que los matones de Al Capone secuestraron a Waller a punta de pistola después de una presentación en Chicago. Resulta que era el invitado sorpresa a la fiesta de cumpleaños de un joven Al Capone en el Hawthorne Inn (Capone tenia 27 años en ese entonces). La fiesta duró tres días seguidos, Waller terminó ganando miles de dólares como propina por tocar las canciones que se le pedían.
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