Fats Waller (Piano & Vocal), Andy Razaf (Vocal), with Leith Stevens Orchestra. Recorded Live December 11th, 1938
During the month of December 1938 Fats Waller was delighting audiences at the Yacht Club in New York. For the week of December 30th he was to appear at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Prior to this engagement, Fats made a guest apperence on the first broadcast of a new weekly radio series called, "This is New York". The program eminated over the wires of WABC on December 11, 1938 and was a replacement for the Orson Welles Mercury Players Theatre rescheduled for a different time later in the week. The series ran well into 1939 and each week endeavoured to capture in its dialogue and music of its varied guests the big city atmosphere of New York with its many colors and sides. A portion of the opening show was devoted to a musical tour of Harlem, and where could one find a guide for such a musical trip than Fats himself? As host Gilbert Seldes - writer and New York critic states in the opening, "Tonight we are going to vist Harlem and we've got the man. At the Piano is Mr. Thomas Waller generally known as Fats for an obvious reason. There are exactly 243 pounds of Mr. Waller tonight. There are also ten fingers that weigh nothing because they are composed of pure genius - Fats Waller." What follows truly is pure genius in typical Walleriana fashion.
THE JOINT IS JUMPIN opens with a Fats vocal and Piano solo. Later in the last chorus he is joined by long time friend and musical collaborater Andy Razaf and the full CBS studio orchestra conducted by Leith Stevens.
Next is a beautiful Waller vocal interpretation of the Dubose Heyward and George Gershwin classic, SUMMERTIME, fully orchestrated with strings. Sadly Fats never recorded this beautiful melody. Fats once again jumps into the upbeat and is joined by Andy for a rompin' STOMPIN' AT THE SAVOY. This peice was also never recorded by Fats and appears on record for the first time.
Notes by Wayne Knight
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