Theatre organist and pianist Thomas "Fats" Waller piano roll

Thomas "Fats" Waller was probably one of the best-remembered musicians to play the theatre organ. Certainly most of his fame came as a jazz pianist.

This roll, "Laughin' Cryin' Blues" is a very familiar arrangement of his. He recorded this roll in May 1923 for QRS #2213. This roll was recut by Blues Tone Music Rolls of Palatine, IL.

Waller played a Wurlitzer piano console organ in the Lincoln Theatre in Harlem. In the late 1920s he made a series of recordings at the Camden Studio Estey pipe organ. Still later on a European tour, he recorded several solos and instrumentals on a Compton pipe organ.

Of Waller Chicago critic named Ashton Stevens wrote, "The pipe organ is the instrument of his soul. The piano is the instrument of his stomach."

Piano is a Beckwith "garden variety" player piano supposedly built in 1902 (according to serial number sequence) but more likely is from around early 1918.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Player-Piano
• AMICA
• MBSI
• theatre-organ
• Fats
• Waller
• Fox
• Trot
• Seeburg
• Nickelodeon
• Model
• Player
• Piano
• Prohibition
• Roaring
• 20's
• twenties
• speak
• easy
• blues

[RobinPratt]

I think the "as played by" came much later than the original issue of these rolls.

[Yaledmot]

@RobinPratt I will defer to the experts. Until I hear otherwise from them, it is not JLC.

[05Toamasina1938]

The version By James Blythe is much better

Listening to Fats it is obvious that Clarence Johnson tried to IMITATE him

[Yaledmot]

@05Toamasina1938 P.S. Anything by Blythe is better.

[Yaledmot]

@AAErikCO ABsolutely so. If you listen to my posting of organist Jesse Crawford playing "Im Forever Blowing Bubbles" on a piano roll. There is no way in creation one person could do all those repetitions "tremolo" without editing help. Still, the Waller style is clearly obvious regardless of what the roll recording equipment of the day could capture.

[AAErikCO]

@Yaledmot

I can postulate Fats did record some of these rolls, but likely most if not all of them were edited; so that being said they could make it sound like anyone. I seem to recall from the JLC interview he said he was sad knowing that they couldn't capture everything Fats was doing on the piano during recording; technical limitations. But note the pianist was always at the editor's mercy. i.e Do I add marimba effect here or there, yes or no? (Obvious answer is always a H-E-L-L NO! lol)

[RobinPratt]

@Yaledmot - I roughly estimate to have heard over 50,000 piano rolls in the past 60 years. I hear lots of JLC "tricks" in there. It is a nice roll recording, albeit "arranged" by the roll company.

However, you may be right.

Have a great holiday!

[Yaledmot]

@RobinPratt (Part 3) The late KO Eklund did a very nice rollography on Waller's real-time roll recordings. Having QRS say "Played by "Fats" Waller" and "As played by "Fats" Waller" gives some degree of clarity to the roll purchaser.

[Yaledmot]

@RobinPratt (Part 2) The faking of Waller was little more than a publicity stunt allowed by QRS and supposedly it flattered Waller who did not raise a stink about the knock-offs. Anytime you buy a roll that says "as played by..." you can bet it is a knock off.

[Yaledmot]

@RobinPratt (Part 1) Could be, but not in this case. A dead give-away for the QRS J.L.C. knock offs was the label that read: "As played by "Fats" Waller." I am not interested in the knock-offs and will not post them regardless of how good J.L.C. is. When J.L.C. is being himself, he is great.

[RobinPratt]

Great recording, but sounds more like J. Lawrence Cook, QRS's house pianist who could imitate all kinds of pianistic styles.