Fats Waller - Complete Recorded Works, Vols 1-3

England’s JSP label, with John Steadman at the helm, has long been heralded as a great reissue label, sporting a fine catalog of expertly remastered reissues at budget prices. Their Louis Armstrong Hot Fives and Sevens box, transferred by the late lamented John R.T. Davies, is second to none for sound quality at just above the cost of a normally priced single disc.

JSP is now in the process of outdoing itself by issuing the complete published sides by Fats Waller. If anyone is due such a project, it’s Fats. Long remembered as a supremely gifted entertainer and songwriter, his skills as a pianist have been somewhat eclipsed, relatively speaking. His prowess on the organ is all but forgotten, cited in reverential whispers by those in the know who also lament the fact that such a multitalented musician and composer has been so short-changed by revisionist history. His catalog fared no better in the reissue market; spread out over several labels but chiefly on RCA, several reissue programs of varying repute and legitimacy have treated his legacy sloppily indeed. Even the best of these, undertaken by Orrin Keepnews in the 1990s, was far from complete. Now, we have these fantastic box sets, each one containing four discs and sporting fantastic sound.

Volume 1 opens with Waller’s first recordings, made for the Okeh label in 1922 under infamous but legendary producer Ralph Peer. These first piano solos show the eighteen-year-old already having mastered the stride piano techniques associated with his teacher, James P. Johnson. We then follow Fats through a series of accompanist roles, supporting everyone from blues singers such as Alberta Hunter to odd forgottens—witness the humorously bizarre Jamaica Jazzers sides. He even belies his background in the church on a few sides with the reverend JC Burnett! Fame ultimately finds Waller, and his pipe organ work, as in an early version of the Fletcher Henderson orchestra, he is placed alongside a young Coleman Hawkins in some exuberantly hot jazz. Solo organ sides abound, and his earliest associations with musical theater are also represented, making this first box indispensable in charting Waller’s apprenticeship and maturation.

Volume 2 sees Waller hitting his stride as a composer; it contains the first version of what is perhaps Waller’s best known composition, “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” Written for a review called “Hot Chocolates,” it appears here in a swinging solo piano version recorded in 1929. The rendition bears all the hallmarks of late 1920s gaiety, a trait that would pervade Wallers’ performances in the coming years as he began to sing, evolving from somewhat stereotypical crooner to the performer that could subvert trite pop material while always endearing himself to his audience. The two earliest versions of “Crazy ‘bout my baby” tell the tale. Both recorded in early 1931, the first with the Ted Louis Orchestra is one of Fats’ early vocal performances, and he’s straight-laced until the final verse. Not so when he revisits the tune a few weeks later, and we get a bit of the humorous patter he perfected throughout the 1930s.

In 1934, Fats finally received a regular recording contract from RCA Victor, for whom he’d recorded sporadically for some time. Also in that year, his regular band, Fats Waller’s Rhythm was formed, staying together until Waller’s death in 1943.

Volume 3 sees that solidification, taking us through a good part of 1936. Through much of this set, the classic Gene Sedrick/Herman Autrey/Al Casey lineup can be heard in fine form. We hear the first recordings of Waller staples like “It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie,” and “I’m gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” and while the latter is a bit more straight-laced than other versions, it is certainly replete with Walleresque charm. The 1934 piano solos that open the first disc of the set constitute a highlight, especially this rendering of “Viper’s Drag,” in which Waller takes a pot-shot (pun intended) at Grieg.

Ted Kendall’s remastering is worth particular note. Often overcoming sub par sources, especially in the earlier volumes, he is able to perform miracles, demonstrating just how dynamic these recordings can really be if treated with affection and care. Mr. Davies once said that Kendall, his protégé, actually restored better than he did, and while that remains a matter of taste, his work here gives us the finest versions of these seminal recordings currently available. As with most JSP titles, the notes are a bit cursory but serviceable and certainly entertaining, biographical information abounding and full discographies included.

Volumes 4 and 5 are now available, and I will comment on these when the final set is released. Suffice it to say that this series is not only absolutely welcome, it is essential; sound alone makes it indispensable, but the inclusion of alternates, usually on the final disc of each set, will appease researchers and fans alike. Hats off, again, to JSP for what is shaping up to be a remarkable achievement.

~ Marc Medwin