YES!!! At last it has come to pass: Fats Waller gets the Proper treatment. Of all the great personalities of jazz, Fats is the greatest (laying aside Louis Armstrong, of course, who transcends mere personality). Fats would be a legend just for his mastery of the keyboard with which he launched his career, but he has so much more to offer. He crafted a true persona which he then donned for each and every performance. And what performances! Fats was the very embodiment of entertainment. And finally, there's the songs themselves. Fats Waller is one of the greatest song writers of all times. He brought a jazz sensibility to show tunes and a show tune sensibility to jazz. Some, like
Ain't Misbehavin', have become standards, interpreted over and over again by cats of all colors, able to be made fresh each time. Others, like
My Very Good Friend the Milkman, belong to Fats alone. The people of Proper Records really had their work cut out for them with this one: how do you bring the whole of Fats when you have a mere four CDs? It's painful to leave out even one timeless classic!
Handful of Keys proves once again why Proper Records is the reigning champion of classic jazz packages: Fats is here in all his glory, from his early days as keyboard prodigy to his final blazing days of songmanship. This is a set that will bring a lifetime of enjoyment. If Fats isn't part of your life, then, man, you ain't livin'! Here's the
complete track listing and
discography.