Thomas Waller loved music as a small boy; his mother Adeline was an excellent pianist and introduced her son to classical music. Young Thomas was an eager learner and he took her lessons to heart. He also wished to please his father Edward that was a minister of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City. He played a Harmonium (which was basically a foot pedaled pipe organ used in small churches) for his father’s services as early as 10 years old.
Thomas Waller had a ravenous appetite and so the name ‘Fats’ was given him and it forever stuck. Fats loved the jazz music that was being created all around him and he learned the tunes by watching how piano rolls affected the keys on the piano. He would imitate what he saw. Because he was able to play quite well in his mid-teens he eventually began to play at large movie houses, where his other gifts developed as well. He was able to develop his sense of timing for humor as well.
By Fat’s late teens with the combination of excellent playing and entertainment, he became widely known in New York. His playing got to be heard by the famous James Price Johnson. James P. Johnson was already a jazz legend, one of the very best pianists and creator of jazz solos in his day and he took a liking to young Fats and he even told his wife that he believed he could make young Fats Waller a good player. Johnson’s style of playing is known as stride piano. James P. Johnson would have put a bit of competitive spirit in Waller, because Johnson was always competing with all the pianists of his day; the competition called cutting contests or cutting heads, was brutal to anyone that was not a real pro, usually only one or two of Johnson’s friends, like Lucky Roberts and Willie The Lion Smith were able to remain with their dignity fully intact. Being around Johnson gave Fat’s a professional edge.
By 18 years of age, Fats was able to earn a living by several means; he was employed creating piano rolls, just like the ones he had learned from, as well as playing rent parties, and he was also playing the piano at the Lincoln Theater.
While still in his early years, Fats made time to study piano from Leopold Godowsky, a classical pianist as well as composition and arranging from Carl Bohm, an instructor at Julliard. It would appear that Waller’s late mother Adeline had surely instilled her son with a love for the classics, as well as technical mastering of his instrument.
At 19, Waller was co-writing with his mentor James P. as well as performing improvisational jazz right along-side him.
Fats was not one to lock himself into any one position, but his musicianship landed him in jobs with the Fletcher Henderson Band and then in Chicago with the Erskine Tate Band, this happening while Louis Armstrong was in the band. Waller later became the accompanist for Adelaide Hall and Bessie Smith.
By 1930 Waller was getting known for one more thing besides his piano genius and his clowning around and that was his singing. But why stop there, Fats still had talent to spare and so with the help of a polished gentleman, born the son of a Madagascar nobleman, whose name was Andrea Paul Razafkeriefo, Fats created his melodies and Andrea (better known as Andy Razaf) put his lyrics to those musical gems. Between the two men such songs as “Ain’t Misbehavin,” “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Jitterbug Waltz” “Your feet’s too big” “Black and Blue,” and others were churned out much to the delight of jazz fans, because those songs have become standards.
Al Capone loved Fats Waller’s music, but rather than offer a job to Fats, he kidnapped him. When Waller was first abducted, he thought he would never go home again, but he was brought somewhere told to play and actually he was tipped well all evening and driven home with thousands of dollars.
Waller didn’t always play by himself or as a part of someone else’s band, he spent much of the later years of his short life with his own group known as Fats Waller and His Rhythm, which included Herman Autrey, trumpet; Gene Sedric, tenor sax; Slick Jones, drums; and Al Casey on guitar. Al Casey was Waller’s nephew and he had made sure that his nephew received proper schooling before he allowed him to join his band.
A few things happened within the last year of Fats Waller’s life. That serious side of music that his mother had cultivated came out when Waller played Carnegie hall. Also, in 1943, Fat’s had a cameo appearance in the movie “Stormy Weather”, which featured Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson, the Nicholas Brothers, Katherine Dunham, Cab Calloway and Bill ‘Bojangle’ Robinson. It was on the train ride home from Hollywood that Fats died. Thomas Wright ‘Fats’ Waller was only 39 years old.
Fats was loved by so many that it was deemed fitting to have his ashes dropped from a plane over Harlem. This gifted musician will forever be an important musician of note in Jazz History.
His seemingly effortless playing as well as his comic nature can be seen in this clip called “The Joint is Jumpin.”
Tags: 1920's Jazz Music, ain't misbehavin, Fat's Waller, Jitterbug Waltz, Your Feet's Too Big
In 1998 about 30 of jazz’s premier guitarists gathered together to pay tribute to jazz legend Herb Ellis. Throughout the evening guitarists stepped out accompanied by either another guitarist, or as part of a trio to play one or two tunes. Everyone playing that night was an excellent player, not a clunker in the bunch, but only one person chose to play alone and that was Martin Taylor.
Throughout the audience as people were looking at the schedule of players, many were saying “Who’s this guy, Martin Taylor, did you ever hear of him?” Martin a Scottish guitarist that had grown up in England was not as well known as many of the guitarists there that night. So, for many in attendance, this was going to be a first impression.
Martin was ready to walk out and one guitarist behind the curtain said to him “I really liked how you played ‘I’ve Got Rhythm’ on your album.” Martin turned and said, “well maybe I’ll just play that now!” and he walked on to the stage and the spotlight hit him and then the sound of a whole band seemed to appear; Martin’s fingers were playing lead, rhythm and bass and the audience was electrified! As good as everyone else was this night, Martin received the only standing ovation.
Becoming a household name in the United States, has still eluded Martin Taylor, but in Europe Martin is revered as one of the finest guitarists in jazz history. Born on October 20, 1956, Taylor grew up among musical surroundings. Young Martin’s father was a bass player that loved the music of gypsy jazz and so he often played his bass to songs made famous by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli .
Martin started out learning from his father and other family members by playing along with them. It wasn’t formal training, but it was extremely valuable towards his musical growth. Martin took a few lessons, but back then Martin wasn’t ready to buckle down and study a book. He jokes that he was able to play well enough that he asked his teacher to please just sign the back of his lesson book as if he had gone through the lessons, because he was able to play all of them by ear.
While in his teens, Martin was playing on cruise ships and playing gigs all around London. During those teen years Ike Isaacs became a mentor. It was through this talented teacher that Martin honed his skills and became a well rounded guitarist and particularly an excellent finger style guitarist.
Ike Isaacs could see how well Martin had developed as a musician and so he introduced him to Stephane Grappelli and Stephane appreciated his playing so much that he hired this young 19 year old and kept him employed for the next 10 years, playing the jazz Martin’s own father had primed his son’s ears for.
Martin Taylor has developed his own style and is an excellent teacher. It’s fitting that he loves helping others develop their own ears and talent and he is launching “The Martin Taylor Guitar Academy” on April 15th, 2010. To learn more about Martin Taylor Guitar Academy (MTGA) ) Please Click Here
Before the Martin Taylor Guitar Academy opens, you may appreciate seeing Martin’s fine presentation of the Jimmy Van Heusen’ classic “Like Someone in Love!” Take a free lesson here.
Tags: fingerstyle guitarist, guitar academy, Ike Isaacs, jazz guitar wizard, playing by ear
In a comedy skit years ago, Steve Martin was saying that he had been in college studying the great artists of the past, like Leonardo da Vinci and Michael Angelo. These men were so brilliant, they sculpted, painted, invented and Steve Martin felt so humbled learning about these men. He too wanted to do something amazing and worthwhile and that’s why he explained “I took up juggling.” Of course this is inane humor, but there are some people in jazz that make everyone else feel just so average and left wondering what they’ve done with their life; Such a man to make everyone wonder was Mel Tormé.
Melvin Tormé was born on September 13, 1925 and by the time he was 4 years old, he was already getting paid for singing at a restaurant in Chicago, accompanied by his parents of course, but getting paid nonetheless.
Mel Tormé grew up in a time when Hollywood was looking for child stars that could do it all. Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Buddy Rich, Sammy Davis Jr. and Shirley Temple were in that category and so was little Mel Tormé. His acting career was mostly small parts, but he was used as an actor for radio. Mel was a terrific drummer and pianist, which enabled him to become an arranger. Mel could scat sing both in the bebop and swing idioms. At 15 Mel wrote his first song entitled “Lament to Love” and at 19 he was arranging for his own group appropriately called the Mel-Tones that was put to work by Artie Shaw.
One of the most famous songs that Nat King Cole sang “The Christmas Song” was written by Mel and his friend Bob Wells. Actually, there is a funny thing about the writing of that song. It started out as just a few lines written by Bob Wells on an extremely hot day. He wrote it to remind him of what he considered to be more bearable weather. Mel viewed it as the beginning of a great song and so he finished the rest of it and its success is well known.
Mel Tormé was an innovator and a risk taker as well. What he did before any of his contemporary singers was to have recordings of his live concerts. He did this a number of times before anyone else took that risk.
There’s a lot to learn from Mel Tormé; A few of those things involve his rhythmic sense, his phrasing, which he credited learning from his personal favorite, Ella Fitzgerald and also his love for what he was doing. Mel never lost that in his 60+ year career. All one has to do to know that Mel loved what he was doing is to see how he gave attention to improving his voice late in life and he succeeded in doing that. He was no longer just the wispy Velvet Fog, which is a moniker that he really never liked, but he grew in control and power. Mel’s career was most successful in his last 13 years, so definitely Mel Tormé is one singer worth adding to your collection and sitting back and really listening to.
Tags: Bebop, contemporary singers, Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Torme, Mel Torme the singer, The Christmas Song