Black singing inspires two local troupes May 23, 2008
Kuntu Rep's "Ain't Misbehavin'" (through May 31) is the well-known revue of wonderful Fats Waller songs ... There's nothing fictional about Fats Waller, musician extraordinaire, and "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1978) is only the most famous of several Broadway shows to feature his songbook. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Patdro Harris Partners With The Ensemble Theatre for Season's Musical Finale: Ain't Misbehavin May 22, 2008
HOUSTON, May 22, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- World-renowned Director/Choreographer Patdro Harris partners with The Ensemble Theatre again to direct and choreograph the Tony Award winning musical Ain't Misbehavin -- The Fats Waller Musical Show. Audiences will experience the energy of one of history's most innovative musical styles with the accompaniment of musical director Phillip Hall. (Primezone Releases)
Events listings May 18, 2008
Piano works by Liszt, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Fats Waller, Grainger; songs by Poulenc, Ravel, Faure. Lexington Bicentennial Band Hastings Park Bandstand, Mass Ave., and Worthen Road, Lexington. (Boston Globe)
The air this week May 13, 2008
Tomorrow 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The Fats Waller Orgy (WHRB) ... Thursday 5 a.m.-noon The Fats Waller Orgy (WHRB). (Boston Globe)
Bunk Fest 2008 hits musical notes in play ... Talking about expansion ... Angers gets CAO post with parish ... School workers may get a raise ... Local festival queen working to thank U.S. troops overseas ... Mail carriers fight hunger problem ... THAILAND BOUND ... DWI panel meets for first time ... Raise ahead in Iberia? ... Leak closes St. Francis Diner ... Assembly Christian honors \'08 graduating class Friday ... Iberia Schools salute top students ... Opportunities for business in stimulus act ... LUXURY ANYONE? ... Devillier in airport\'s captain seat ... St. Martin Schools fill 2008-09 positions ... FEMA trailer gone ... Peigneur bill going to Senate ... TB case confirmed in Iberia Parish ... IDF sets date for its next luncheon ... LEAP passing results similar to last year ... City Council takes stand ... Chamber shoots up fundraiser ... Ditch issue continues ... St. Martin approves courthouse annex ... Salary study considered ... Gas line severed, leaks near Iberia Parish Courthouse ... Facade grants available for downtown ... Parish follows through ... St. Martinville native returns to show talents ... AGL said caverns will not affect freshwater stream ... Historic preservation meeting planed ... Charges after victim robbed at gunpoint ... Police seize $500 in prescription pills ... Iberia to honor top students ... CINCO DE MAYO ... Have enough surplus? ... City sales tax revenue growing ... Anderson Middle students eat MREs ... New Iberia may back LMA resloution ... Music just one of Lowry\'s many talents ... Lawmakers deciding on bill to scrap income tax ... Hopkins students enjoy \'FD\' ... Milk fund raises $834.63 for needy ... Opinion in on volunteers ... Hadrian on the way out ... Cleanest City judges make their rounds here in state competition ... Shrimp date set but fewer plan to trawl ... Council accepts audit ... UNIQUE FESTIVAL ... Food prices rising ... Input being sought for flood maps ... Local woman dies in wreck ... Replenishment sparks controversy ... Aggreko offering student training plan ... St. Mary head start successes honored with celebration gala tonight ... STUDENTS WRITE OWN BOOK ... Suspect pleads not guilty ... N.I. man steals big rig, leads deputies on chase ... Traffic stop leads to drug arrest ... Two take center stage in IPAL\'s \'Bingo\' ... Blaze destroys New Iberia apartment ... Highway commission on alert during May ... Teche jobless numbers inch up ... No shortage of rice in this part of country ... Bunk Fest kicks off Thursday ... Trashy issue revisited ... Course helps women learn self-defense ... Lee street school gets Goody\'s grant ... Community volunteers get special week of their own ... MARSHAL: NO SPEED TRAP ... Stabbing suspect arrested ... Women on special flight tell their stories ... Project Graduation winner \'excited\' ... Landfill owner eyes expansion despite Bill 383 ... Stimulus checks to hit Teche Area early ... State testing dates moved back for next school year ... Not forgotten ... Mural captures students interest ... Area solon\'s bills close to being law ... New Iberia City Council calls meeting ... Grill Then Chill ... Experts predict $4 gas ... Art Walk rained on Saturday ... Woman charged in stabbing ... Local business leaders push Internet campaign ... Runaway teen found, moved to St. James Youth Detention ... Local newspaper takes home LPA awards ... ROADSIDE BLIGHT \'TERRIBLE\' ... Life sentence for murder ... Local business leaders learn ways to use the Internet ... Musicians to perform again here ... Art Walk scheduled for Saturday ... Franklin health fair planned Saturday morning ... Maine lobsters make way south for New Iberia fundraiser ... St. Mary Parish Council disagrees over expenditures ... Health blitz comes to Cyr-Gates ... Tribute concert Sunday perfect for the Teche Area\'s Beatles fans ... Iberia\'s clerk of court cities \'honor\' ... BINS COME IN, ROLL OUT ... Witnesses testify in trial ... Charges filed in wreck ... Before HonorAir trip, three vets share stories ... School vapor suit nears payment phase after ruling ... Women alleges police brutality ... New Iberia going to state contest ... Dealership gets new digs ... Iberia port against consolidation effort ... Parish council wants city\'s help with canal project ... Board helps out drivers ... Fan drive breezes into Teche Area ... \'A Rock Opera\' at CHS ... Time to fire up the grill ... Cooper the Yorkie wins Cutie Patootie Pet contest ... Coroner questions drug case evidence ... Gachassin seeking District 3 seat ... IDF advisory committee will meet Thursday ... Attempted murder suspect sought ... Employers seek workers ... Bus driver compensation considered ... Trashy area no more ... Arrest made in shooting ... \'Big Accomplishment\' ... 12-year term in fatality ... Iberia Parish deputy arrested, fired ... Sheriff\'s vehicle involved in crash ... Franklin looks at water issue ... Local woman wins Heroine award ... Senior citizens to get new wheels ... Building with a view ... Skeeter control debate resumes ... Who\'s showing up at the meetings? ... St. Mary begins registration ... Body found at car wash ... Speed limit sign should slow traffic ... Preparations for world congress ... Cash flow still problem ... Two die on roads ... Not too small to walk ... Murder trial to pick jury ... U.S. Senate clears way for city funds ... Weekend Franklin festival draws bear of a crowd ... Hebert\'s Lake Peigneur bill fails to pass committee ... Monk sees life\'s beauty in ocean\'s waves ... PRINCE OF A BABY FOR EVENT ... March for babies brings out best in the community ... Two women raped, beaten ... Hebert\'s bill aims at media ... Book signing, play scheduled ... Student musical show planned ... ALL ABOUT ZORA ... Murder suspect wants a trial ... Panel delays action on saloon, Armenco issues ... Time to get bear-ish for festival in Franklin ... Gray will be new Coteau principal ... Applications for 20 $2000 scholarship still being taken ... Assistant principals assigned to 3 Iberia Parish Schools ... Beatles tribute band coming ... Concert association celebrates 60 years ... DRUNK DRIVING FOCUS OF RALLY ... Driver faces prison term ... Ruling ... Suspect alleges brutality by deputy, wants charges dropped ... Champagne\'s bill targets campaign law ... U.S. Army focuses on Jeanerette ... Corps of Engineers presents options ... Two arrested in drug sting ... Hearing on saloon ... Roads, sewers hot topics ... Parish Council to discuss drainage, lease agreement ... Interim principals may get new posts ... Zora Hurston author to speak at library Wednesday ... VOICE sets rally ... Council to hear Corps ... Crawfish on the go ... Want to help children? CASA wants to talk ... Road construction projects nearing start for Iberia ... Festive weekend going on in Jeanerette ... Lewis Street business at odds with nearby housing developments ... Nine more in hunt for new car ... School surveys go out to St. Mary parents ... \'Truck\' doesn\'t stop when it comes to kids ... Seminar geared to help seniors ... As weather warms, be cautious of mosquitoes ... FLOOD-PRONE AREAS ... Good start on input ... Grant money to help keep butts off ground ... St. Martin on watch for sex offenders ... St.Mary schools extend worker\'s compensation plan ... On the job with me and my shadow ... Plea in Kibodeaux deaths ... Devillier gets airport director\'s job ... Council backs plan for IEDA ... Faulk selected new chamber CEO ... Corps of engineers to talk New Iberia storm-gates, levees ... Home invasion has local family shaken ... Jack Smith rejects St. Mary parish legislature liaison job ... Jeanerette festival nearing ... 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The Teche Theater Players presented Ain t Misbehavin The Music of Fats Waller with singing and dancing that had toes tapping on the feet of audience members. Bunk Fest events continue with A Drob/Polk Jazz Lecture scheduled at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Iberia Parish Library, St. Peter branch. (New Iberia, LA)
Neon lights are bright on Broadway for 'Idol' stars Apr 17, 2008
Roles: Fats Waller in national tour of Ain't Misbehavin', a 1978 revue saluting Waller, starting Nov. 14 ... On their latest gig: "I was always a jazz fan, and I remember seeing Fats Waller in an old black-and-white movie. He was such a great entertainer, and I grew up imitating other singers. So I think this will be a great opportunity for me to dive in and play. It's like being a kid again.". (USA Today -- Life)
Music in the park for Artsfest Apr 5, 2008
When Hotlanta plays on Thursday evening, there will be songs from Fats Waller, Hoagy Carmichael, Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton, plus many favorites like "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "When the Saints Go Marchin' In.". Hotlanta's full instrumentation is the traditional sextet: Greg McLean on comet, Ray Trant on drums, Neal McElroy on trombone, Bill Rutan on banjo/vocals, Don Erdman on clarinet and Hal Johnson on tuba. (Bainbridge Post Searchlight, GA)
Ahmanson debuts musical 'Minsky's' Mar 25, 2008
An exclusive CTG engagement of "Ain't Misbehavin'," which celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Tony-winning Fats Waller revue, will run April 18-May 31, 2009. A second bonus option, "Dame Edna: My First Last Tour," plays June 9-21, 2009, with a June 10 opening. (Variety)
Interview: "American Idol" Alums Mar 15, 2008
He has also been cast as Fats Waller in a touring production of "Ain't Misbehavin'." He says, "I feel like I'm on course to have a very long career and I'm glad that I wasn't a quick burner," Ruben reflects. "I'm working on my fourth album. A lot of people don't make it to that point. I feel like I'm exactly where I should be right now.". (Billboard.com)
Bouncing back Mar 15, 2008
Leach has been playing with the Black Swan Classic Jazz Band in recent years, ripping through the repertoire of such artists as Jelly Roll Morton and Fats Waller, along with other classic Dixie material. He s also played with Gladstone, Maharimba and The Vanilla Syncopators, with Feinberg. (Albany Democrat-Herald, OR)
Surreal to reel Mar 1, 2008
Be Kind Rewind is partly a film about myths and myth-making, as shown in an oddball subplot involving jazz pianist Fats Waller ... "I've been thinking a lot about how you can create a new music. You have blues, jazz, ragtime and much later reggae. Clearly those are innovations - it's not just recycling, it's deeper than that. I think black music in particular has this ability but unfortunately they do it because they have no option. When they put two turntables together and invented hip-hop, it... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
'Be Kind' and see the film Feb 28, 2008
However, the beginning of Be Kind Rewind regales the viewer with facts about a 20th-century jazz musician named Fats Waller. In fact, this Fats character is at the center of the entire flick. (The Cavalier Daily, VA)
Film reviews: Rambo, U2 3D and more Feb 22, 2008
Gondry also commits a dramatic gaffe, showing the pair's masterpiece, a moody, affectionate tribute to the great jazz pianist Fats Waller, at the start of Be Kind Rewind rather than at the climax. Here's a film that's sweet and well-intentioned, but with a heart where its brain should be. (Telegraph.co.uk)
In wacky 'Rewind,' community is rekindled Feb 22, 2008
There's a mythical subplot about how the video store was also the birthplace of the jazzman Fats Waller. But even that occasions a beautiful collection of scenes in which Be Kind Rewind productions shoots a movie about Waller, and one funny moment in which the cast and crew of the biopic stop in their tracks at the sight of Jerry, who mistakenly assumes he'll be playing Waller. (Boston Globe)
'Rewind' brings back the feel-good movie Feb 22, 2008
Mixed in with this merriment is a thread about jazz pianist Fats Waller, a hero to Glover's character and a surprisingly important part of the story. "Be Kind Rewind," which also features Mia Farrow as a store customer, has a slow-to-build goofy, low-key charm. (Scripps Howard News Wire)
'Be Kind Rewind' Feb 22, 2008
The building that houses his store is condemned, despite his dubious claim that it also happens to be the birthplace of jazz legend Fats Waller. A loopy and likable Mos Def plays Mike, Mr. Fletcher's unofficially adopted son and sole employee. (Los Angeles Times)
Be Kind Rewind UK Review Feb 21, 2008
IGN: Be Kind Rewind Review. Jack Black comedy only occasionally funny. (IGN FilmForce)
'Rewind' director aims at the 'play' button in all of us Feb 19, 2008
It's no wonder that Gondry chose musician Fats Waller - the genius jazz man - to be the inspiration behind "Be Kind Rewind." The community in the film is shaped by its connection to Waller, who, according to town lore, lived in Mr. Fletcher's ramshackle house (now the video store). And it's not much of a leap to interpret Waller as a proxy for Gondry, a technical virtuoso with a renegade spirit and almost cartoonish sense of humor. (Boston Globe)
Making His Own Rules Feb 17, 2008
Oh, and one more thing: The film also serves as a documentary on the life and times of Passaic's native son, jazz pianist Fats Waller, who naturally had nothing to do with that city because he really grew up in New York. We could print the entire script here and it still wouldn't serve as a spoiler, because in true Gondry style, only seeing is believing. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Goodman cancels 'Boys' premiere Feb 12, 2008
A revival of the Fats Waller musical "Ain't Misbehavin'," originally planned for the theater's second space, will move onto the Mainstage as a replacement. Links posted in this story. (Variety)
Atlanta Jazz band is living a dream Jan 31, 2008
When penciling in a set list, Erdman likes to mix tempos and showcase tunes written and made famous by the likes of Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael, but he also includes songs that have interesting stories behind them. "I like for us to do songs I can talk about," he says. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Songwriter, performer offers twist on familiar jazz tunes Jan 25, 2008
"I have done two CDs that involved compositions that were created many decades ago by Fats Waller and Duke Ellington," she said. Feather said her show is a good introduction for people who do not normally listen to jazz. (The University Echo, TN)
Be Kind Rewind Jan 22, 2008
Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) maintains a video-only rental shop in run-down Passaic, N.J., in a building he claims was once home to jazz great Fats Waller ... Production values are a few notches higher than those of the boys' own productions, and notably so in the musical department, especially when Fats Waller chimes in. (Variety)
Musical drawn from life of Johnny Cash comes to Wright Auditorium Jan 18, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008. Before actor Will Smith was one of the "Men in Black," Johnny Cash was the original man in black. (The Daily Reflector)
Insta-success may be just an 'Idol' dream Jan 15, 2008
Sony BMG has offered to consider Hicks's next album, McPhee is appearing in several films, and Studdard will be headlining a revival of the Fats Waller musical "Ain't Misbehavin' " alongside another former "Idol" contestant, Frenchie Davis. The fact that many people still know Davis's name and those of Sanjaya, non-contestant William Hung, and, sadly, current "Celebrity Rehab" participant Jessica Sierra further underscores a crucial point. (Boston Globe)
Lasting impactSome of the key entertainment figures who died in 2007 Dec 30, 2007
A fan of Bessie Smith and Fats Waller, he was famous for his routine of singing jazz numbers from the 1920s, interspersed with ribald jokes and saucy asides. According to his wife, Melly was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2005 for which he refused all treatment. (BBC News -- UK)
Baldwin, Busch set for Bay Street Dec 12, 2007
Third and final summer offering at Bay Street is a revival of Fats Waller revue "Ain't Misbehavin'," set to run Aug. 5-31. Links posted in this story. (Variety)
Helen Mirren is on the move Dec 11, 2007
TARGET is underwriting Sag Harbor's Bay Street Theater lineup for 2008: June 3 -- Charles Busch's hilarious "Shanghai Moon," starring Julie Halston and Charles himself; beginning July 8, Alec Baldwin and Kate Burton in "Private Lives," directed by Jack Hofsiss; then on Aug. 5, the music of Fats Waller in "Ain't Misbehavin'.". The Madonna gang (Ingrid Casares, Carlos Leon, etc. (Variety)
Cronin: Sonny Rollins Interview Nov 10, 2007
As a small boy, I heard Fats Waller, Coleman Hawkins, Louis Jordan. They were all playing in Harlem. (Zmag.org)
Stars align in Dowagiac for unforgettable show Nov 6, 2007
Chicago jazz legend and Dowagiac resident Franz Jackson, Still Swingin' at 95, opened Sunday evening with "What a Wonderful World," then was joined by vocalist Judi K ("eight years with Franz were heaven for me"), trumpeter George Bean, trombonist Ed Bagatini, Tad Calcara, the principal clarinetist for the Utah Symphony in Salt Lake City, Hugh Leal on banjo, Jim Pickley on piano, Chris Carani on bass (his father also played with Jackson) and Hank Tausend, who played with Woody Allen's jazz band,... (Dowagiac News, MI)
Hot Club sizzles with gypsy swing Nov 5, 2007
The group especially had a lot of fun adding a gypsy style to a Fats Waller tune, Jitterbug Waltz. This is a string chamber jazz group of virtuoso musicians who bring a passion, warmth and a sentimentality to this great genre of music. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Harlem harmonies Nov 3, 2007
Listing Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Fletcher Henderson, Eubie Blake, Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver and Cab Calloway among the honored composers, director Steve Simpkins compared the influence of Harlem on the music of the 1920s and 30s to the influence of Vienna in the 18th century. Many of these composers led the way, Simpkins said. (Coos Bay-North Bend The World, OR)
ROYAL 'HOOD Oct 28, 2007
Queens is also home to the illustrious African-American neighborhood of St. Albans, a haven first discovered by Fats Waller, when he decided in the 1920s that Harlem was too noisy. Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Milton Hinton soon followed - not to mention John Coltrane and James Brown, who proved that single-family-home living could be hip, paving the way for today's residents, rappers Q Tip and LL Cool J.. (New York Post -- Opinions)
Feature story: Fascinating rhythm Oct 19, 2007
As an amused Wilmunder looks on, Hodges and Venaas banter like the wind about everything from Fats Waller to the 1939 Academy Awards. They take turns singing and playing the piano, and Venaas keeps jumping up to grab another piece of vintage music from a closet or shelf. (Palo Alto Online, CA)
'I was trapped into being alive' Oct 18, 2007
"Wyatt's father introduced him to jazz through the movie Stormy Weather, which featured Fats Waller. "My dad was fascinated by that, being a pianist who'd listened up to that point to Mozart through to Ravel and Debussy. Dad] was really important to me. (Guardian Unlimited)
Michel Gondry Makes Jack Black A Hero In 'Be Kind Rewind' Oct 4, 2007
Mike idolizes jazz musician Fats Waller, whose story has been passed on to him by Glover and figures prominently in the final act of the story. For Gondry, who himself grew up idolizing greats like Waller and Duke Ellington, the link to jazz is clear. (VHI.com -- Music News)
UkeSolos.com: 100 Year Old Ukulele Star - Still Loves the Spotlight Oct 2, 2007
He's played with them all -- Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, and the Charley Barnet Band, and many times with Don Ho. He also has the distinction of having taught such luminaries as Shirley Temple and Clark Gable during the 20's. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Still swingin': Jackson turning 95 Oct 2, 2007
He has played with virtually every renowned jazz great, including Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Fletcher Henderson, Jimmy Noone, Earl Hines, Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne. He formed his own band, The Original Jazz All-Stars, in 1957 and solidified himself as a Chicago jazz institution with various appearances at clubs throughout the city, most notably a 10-year engagement at The Red Arrow nightclub in Berwyn, Ill. (Dowagiac News, MI)
Rep's 'Ain't Misbehavin'' is solid, professional Sep 27, 2007
"Ain't Misbehavin: The Fats Waller Musical Show" When: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; 7 p.m. Sundays and Tuesdays; through Oct. 14 Where: San Diego Repertory Theatre at the Lyceum Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, San Diego Tickets: 28- 51 Info: (619) 544-1000 Web: www ... When the 39-year-old Harlem preacher's son died unexpectedly in 1943 from pneumonia on a Kansas City train, he left behind a catalog of some 500 songs, the best of which are showcased in the jazzy musical revue "Ain't... (North County Times)
Fat Feet, Chainsaw Sculpture Fill German Painter Baselitz's Show in London Sep 20, 2007
Sept. 20 (Bloomberg) -- German painter Georg Baselitz has little in common with Fats Waller, the late jazz pianist. Yet one topic engaged both men: large feet. (Bloomberg -- Germany)
Hemingway in Paris: It's what's in Ketchum Sep 19, 2007
The background music will be that of Cole Porter, Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller apparent favorites of Hemingway's based on the photos taken of records on the shelf of Hemingway's Casa Finca home in Cuba. But even as he assumes the role of Papa once again, Blampied wonders just what's true and what's stretching it a little. (Wood River Journal, ID)
San Diego Rep opens diverse season with 'Ain't Misbehavin' Sep 13, 2007
"Ain't Misbehavin': The Fats Waller Musical Show" When: Opens Sept. 14 and runs through Oct. 14; showtimes, 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; 7 p.m. Sundays and Tuesdays Where: Lyceum Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, San Diego Tickets: 28- 51 Info: (619) 544-1000 Web: www ... The season opens Friday with "Ain't Misbehavin': the Fats Waller Musical Show," a celebration of the music of the famed Harlem Renaissance composer and pianist Thomas "Fats" Waller ... "The stride piano, social... (North County Times)
White in America: a long, strange ride Sep 10, 2007
" It came in the evening news, with the image of Patrice Lumumba of Congo, earnest and articulate in his dark suit and glasses. He wasn't a National Geographic African, but an urbane modern politician. Adults around me clearly viewed him with hostility, as they did Malcolm X. My father, like Kerouac, was a jazz fanatic, and he listened to it all: Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Waller, Miles Davis, Jelly Roll Morton, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington. And blues and gospel.... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Manilow Gets Jazzy For Hallmark Holiday Album... Sep 6, 2007
In early November, Hallmark plans to issue "In the Swing of Christmas," a jazz-styled album on which Manilow is accompanied by pianist Matt Herskowitz of the Mad Fusion Trio, who he proclaims is "beyond Bill Evans, beyond Fats Waller. You've never heard a young piano player like this.". The song list, Manilow says, is a mix of "titles everyone would know" -- "Silver Bells" and "White Christmas" -- along with Irving Berlin's "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" and the Great American... (Billboard.com)
Sal Mosca, 80; jazz pianist and teacher hailed for his improvisations Aug 9, 2007
"His playing exhibits the well-constructed inventions of Bach, the giddy galloping gaiety of Fats Waller and the elliptical runs and stunning technique of Art Tatum. It is also stamped with the introspective intensity and harmonic rhythmic complexity of his mentor, Mr. Tristano." ... Born Salvatore Joseph Mosca in Mount Vernon on April 27, 1927, the pianist grew up listening to such artists as Fats Waller on the family's player piano. (Los Angeles Times)
A force in African-American theater Aug 6, 2007
They had played Josephine Baker, Mahalia Jackson, Malcolm X and Fats Waller; they had spoken or sung the words of great and prominent playwrights August Wilson, Athol Fugard, Cheryl West, Pearl Cleage, George C. Wolfe, Lee Breuer, poet Hughes and such revelatory lesser lights as Don Adams and Donald T. Evans. Then the Rev. Art Cribbs eulogized his friend with anecdotal humor and the parable of the talents. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
At Monadnock, an era comes to an end Aug 4, 2007
Of "Piano Concert," he mentions that its inspiration came from two sources that are about as disparate as one can imagine: Francois Couperin and Fats Waller. "I don't think you'd probably notice either one," he acknowledges with a laugh. (Boston Globe)
More of this story Jul 18, 2007
A few years later Hughes took piano lessons from a teacher who opened his eyes to boogie-woogie, ragtime and pop. When he heard Zez Comfrey s 1920 s Novelty Piano Pieces and Fats Waller s stride piano style, he felt an immediate connection. I love the style of music that came right out of the 1920s and 30s, he said. (Brockton Enterprise, MA)
New mom Diana Krall revels in the challenges of her music Jul 17, 2007
Her piano work - drawing inspiration from Fats Waller and Elton John - was Krall's ticket into the jazz world years ago. But it's that voice, sensitive and sensuous, that won Krall her mainstream following and made her a long-term resident in the pop Top 10. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Memories Of A One-Off Jazz Legend Jul 7, 2007
At school Melly once seduced former Sunday Telegraph editor Sir Peregrine Worsthorne on a sofa but said he found crackly 78s by Bessie Smith, Fats Waller and Jelly Roll Morton far more satisfying. He later joined the navy as the war ended and travelled the world experimenting with both jazz and sex in a series of hilarious escapades which he later recounted in his book Rum, Bum And Concertina. (Sky News)
ObituaryThe flamboyant life of jazz singer and writer George Melly Jul 6, 2007
A fan of Bessie Smith and Fats Waller, he was to become famous for his routine of singing jazz numbers from the 1920s, interspersed with ribald jokes and saucy asides. Too respectable. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Different ways of doing fusion Jul 1, 2007
Pianist Aki Takase's Fats Waller Project, which settled in at Nathan Phillips Square for a noon concert Wednesday, offered fusion of a completely different kind. Takase and her crew guitarist Eugene Chadbourne, trombonist Nils Wogram, bass clarinetist Rudi Mahall, and drummer Paul Lovens are avant-gardists, not archivists, and their approach to Waller's tunes had as much free-form splatter as stride piano and rollicking blues. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
More than you can eat at a rich music buffet Jun 22, 2007
Aki Takase: The Fats Waller Project (June 27 at noon, Nathan Phillips Square). Japanese-born and Berlin-based pianist Takase is a stalwart of the avant-garde, but for this tour, she and her band - which includes guitar iconoclast Eugene Chadbourne - explore the unexpected connections between stride and free jazz. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Maestros Al Fresco Jun 22, 2007
On July 13, Jeff Tyzik conducts "Nothin' But the Blues," a tribute to Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Fats Waller. Vocalist Dee Daniels will be featured. (CTNow.com)
`Ghost Rider' slow, dull between stunts Jun 13, 2007
99) collects dozens of vintage performances by the likes of Fats Waller and Artie Shaw from a number of sources, including old ``soundies'' -- films played in jukebox-like machines decades before there was MTV.. Also worth mentioning is The Bridge (Koch, $26. (Akron Beacon Journal, OH -- Entertainment)
The 'angular momentum' of Cecil Taylor May 30, 2007
"Main Stem of Ellington. Bensonality. And of course Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue. "Ellington was important because he played all of the piano, but people forget about the genius of Fats Waller, whose real technique has been masked by his comedic sensibility. But each tone that he played, each note, was perhaps crystal in its purity. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Music and cultures take Rep's stage May 29, 2007
The season kicks off in September with the popular Fats Waller musical, Ain't Misbehavin. Centered in the Harlem Renaissance-era music of Thomas Fats Waller, the Richard Maltby Jr. show will be directed and choreographed by Patdro Harris; his skill and energy infused the Rep's 2004 production of Regina Taylor's Crowns. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
* By George! That's not world music May 25, 2007
When Winston heard Fats Waller in 1971, he knew that the piano, not the organ, was the instrument for him. When he discovered Longhair in 1979, it was an epiphany and he has spent the rest of his life learning how to express himself in the master's musical language. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Cabaret fun at Birchmere May 24, 2007
Beneath these high-temperature offerings, the house band (a rollicking group called the NYC Blues Devils) maintains a cool undercurrent of old-time jazz and blues tunes; it brings the contagious energy of modern-day swing-era throwbacks such as the Squirrel Nut Zippers, but buttresses it with a more authentic sound that draws on such influences as Louis Jordan, Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller. "The music [in "Le Scandal"] is great," says pianist Scott Treibitz name cq Web Devils founder. (Washington Times, DC)
Royal Theatre presents Mimi Blais in ragtime piano concert May 22, 2007
The stride piano appeared in the twenties in the New York area known as the Harlem-Stride names like James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Willie the Lion Smith are the most well known in this style. . (Camdenton Lake Sun Leader, MO)
Today's Agenda Apr 21, 2007
The Night They Invented Champagne: Music from the '40s, including tunes by Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, the Gershwin Brothers and Jerome Kern performed by the Miami Gay Men's Chorus; 8 p.m., All Souls Episcopal Church, 4025 Pinetree Dr., Miami Beach; $20, $15 seniors and students. 305-604-8787 or miamigaychorus. (The Miami Herald)
Haley's comet Apr 18, 2007
While Scarnato rehearsed Fats Waller s Ain t Misbehavin with piano accompaniment, she coyly sang saving all my love for you. and you, and you. (San Antonio Current, TX)
American Idol - Week 12 Apr 5, 2007
Bennett's best advice of the night was to Haley Scarnato, who was told her idea "destroys" "Ain't Misbehavin'," and while she may have altered some elements, she did proceed to grind out the Fats Waller classic as if she were at a beauty pageant. (Simon Cowell's notes -- on that one -- agreed with mine. (Variety)
Eubie Blake run ragged (Jayne Blanchard) Apr 2, 2007
Mr. Parise has re-conceived and updated the show to remove some of its disco-era traces, and in many ways, it resembles another revue from that time, "Ain't Misbehavin'," which was devoted to the music of Fats Waller. Dan Conway's bilevel art-deco set, which is curved like a musical staff, seems inspired by "Ain't Misbehavin' " and the original production of the musical "Chicago" in its nightclub ambience. (Washington Times)
What I should have learned by now Mar 22, 2007
To quote my favorite philosopher, Fats Waller: "One never knows, do one?". Among the things I should have learned by now. (Townhall.com)
