An Introduction to Fats Waller

Product Description:

Personnel include: Fats Waller (vocals, piano); Al Casey (guitar); Gene Sedric (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Herman Autrey (trumpet); Cedric Wallace (bass instrument); Slick Jones (drums).

Liner Note Author: Scott Yanow.

Fats Waller's songwriting, singing, and dazzling piano playing are reason enough to pick up any well-compiled introductory set --and Fuel 2000's two-disc INTRODUCTION TO FATS WALLER certainly qualifies. Add to that the sly humor and irrepressible charisma of his performances, qualities that translate perfectly decades and decades after these tracks were recorded, and one would be hard-pressed not to pick this up. Waller aficionados will already have much of this material, but the inclusion of signature gems like "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Ain't Misbehavin'," alongside should-be classics like "Viper's Drag" and a host of others, make this a perfect entry point for Waller initiates.