Description:
Armstrong and "harmful little armful" Fats Waller played together briefly in 1925, then Louis performed many of the pianist's best-known tunes in 1929's New York revue, Connie's Hot Chocolates. It took him until 1955 (12 years after Waller's death) to record an album devoted entirely to the Fats songbook. This disc corrects a mistake made on the 1986 CD, restoring the original versions alongside four, previously unreleased, edited alternate takes. Apart from a couple of sensitively delivered ballads, "Blue Turning Grey Over You" and "(What Did I Do To Be So) Black & Blue". It's a session of high
Armstrong and "harmful little armful" Fats Waller played together briefly in 1925, then Louis performed many of the pianist's best-known tunes in 1929's New York revue, Connie's Hot Chocolates. It took him until 1955 (12 years after Waller's death) to record an album devoted entirely to the Fats songbook. This disc corrects a mistake made on the 1986 CD, restoring the original versions alongside four, previously unreleased, edited alternate takes. Apart from a couple of sensitively delivered ballads, "Blue Turning Grey Over You" and "(What Did I Do To Be So) Black & Blue". It's a session of high-spirited romping, Satch's controlled-vibrato vocals caught in rough-hewn detail, his trumpet solos springing forth with gleaming perfection, razor-edged even when muted. "Honeysuckle Rose" is one of several duets with Velma Middleton, charging through a sequence of solos that serves to introduce Trummy Young (trombone), Billy Kyle (piano), Barney Bigard (clarinet) and Arvell Shaw (bass). That only leaves out drummer Barrett Deems. Velma and Louis are at their bawdiest on "All That Meat And No Potatoes", while Young takes a wonderfully apoplectic solo on the fast-trotting "Ain't Misbehavin'". Producer George Avakian has also included seven more Satch-Fats interpretations from 1929, 30 and 32, providing a good opportunity to compare the two eras. --Martin Longley
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Manufacturer: Sony Jazz
Release date: 3 July 2000
Number of discs: 1
EAN: 5099706492726
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