Search - Fats Waller :: 1940 to 1942 6 of the Complete Recorded Works

The Last Years...

jive rhapsodist | NYC, NY United States | 07/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You can sense the exhaustion - it's a little chilling. Even though the bonhomie is still as relentless as ever, you can feel Waller relying more and more on pet phrases, and occasionally even letting his drinking get the better of him (Bouncin' On A V-Disc on disc D). His playing is generally impeccable,though, and this set also includes one of his two greatest solo sets (May 13, 1941). It is nothing less than a crime that more of such playing was not preserved. 4 of the 5 tracks are masterpieces (Honeysuckle Rose is a little too cute to be called a masterpiece). Here he shows that he unquestionably belongs at the top rank of Jazz Pianists. Georgia On My Mind is fabulous - virtuosity which never calls attention to itself as such; pure musicality and invention and swing. On this session we hear the classic Harlem Stride of the '20's confronting advanced Jazz Piano of the late '30's (Wilson, Tatum). What more Waller could have contributed along these lines! The set also includes his only real "Dixieland" session, with the Condonites. He plays with admirable restraint, adding more "cool" than is usually heard on such sessions - although nothing can keep those guys from their over-exuberant rideouts. Many of the Fats Waller and his Rhythm cuts are pretty cookie cutter-ish, though. Nothing wrong with any of them, but few revelations. However, Ted Kendall really captures the piano sound here, and this alone makes this an essential purchase. Nobody's really ever made enough of the line "Two Senegambians lying in bed" during Shortnin' Bread - a fine moment. One of my favorite cuts is the Big Band version of Chant of the Groove where you hear the Waller band confronting 1941 Jazz style. There is a piquant contrast between the up-to-date riffs and the square two-beat rhythm through most of the track - Waller's popularity meant that he didn't have to keep quite as abreast as some others might have had to. Compare Coleman Hawkins' contemporaneous live version to hear what I mean. By the way, the cover of the box lists 1940 to 1942, but have no fear:Waller's performances in the studio up to his death in 1943 are all included. The "Rhythm" ceased operation in 1942 - did Waller plan on semi-retirement? After that time there are a handful of solo V-discs and the session for the film Stormy Weather.

OK,summation: I think in some ways, this is the least of the 6 sets (minus the 1941 solo tracks, of course). But watching Waller slowly fade away before our eyes is very moving. If you love his music, you will have to own it."