Satch Plays Fats

WHAT NYMITH SAYS

Carbon copies never do seem to be as good as the originals, which automatically separates the amazing W.C. Handy tribute from the similarly packaged Satch Plays Fats. On the face of it, they look about the same: Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars with Velma Middleton perform a glowing, affectionate tribute to the late Fats Waller (1904-1943).

There is only one problem with this album and it was insurmountable from the start: You can't separate Fats Waller from his songs without most of them losing their lustre. Waller's recordings, whether he sings or not, are so thoroughly Waller, and so thoroughly '30s, it is impossible to approach them with anything other than delight. He was all about personality, phrasing, comic timing and sheer lovability. Take a song like 'Squeeze Me,' separate it from Fats and watch it perish (in much the same way any given Louis Jordan number perishes when removed from him and the Tympany Five). In short, there is no reason to listen to this when you have access to the originals.

That problem addressed, the question remains if Armstrong's renditions add anything to the songs? After all, if anyone in the '50s COULD interpret Fats, it had to be Satch. And he does a nice job with everything and manages to significantly improve on one tune: '(What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue' is a tremendous, moody song that simply flourishes with the All-Star treatment and Armstrong's gravelly voice is a good match to the lyric. Of course it's also not very typical of the Waller sound, which is telling.

I just don't see that Fats Waller's compositions lend themselves, the way W.C. Handy's did, to interpretive hands. His lyrics aren't interesting of themselves and while, melodically, he had Handy (and a lot of other competition) beat, his songs don't sprawl around - which is, after all, the ideal format for someone like Armstrong.

There's nothing you can pinpoint about Satch Plays Fats that makes it "bad." Yet the fact remains that, on its own, it can't hold a candle either to Fats Waller in person or to Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy. In its day it served as a nice reminder/introduction to an audience forgetful or unfamiliar with Fats but now, when you can acquire the originals, it's far better to just bypass this pleasant but vaguely unsatisfying album and go listen to the real thing.

WHAT TICHARU SAYS

The late great Fats Waller, dead now almost twice as long as he was alive. Of course it's completely irrelevant to him, he could give a toss if you listened to his tunes or not and some of you may not even know who Fats Waller was or for that matter ever listened to his fabulous little piano tunes inspiring legions of fans like me. Where were you when they compiled his recordings on CD for the first time? I can tell you where I was. I was first in line, eager to get my hands on a used copy so I could hear for myself the genius that was Fats Waller!

And then there's Louis Armstrong. Here's an unlikely scenario but supposing you've heard neither Louis Armstrong or Fats Waller? I know, how weird would that be? You might benefit from acquiring this disc from the incredibly dull and joyless year 1955. Oh that's right, it's not really necessary to own discs anymore, you can just put them on your playlist with your favourite streaming radio service... but why bother listening to stuff from 100 years ago when there are such exciting acts to suffer your braincells with today? Well, if no one listens to these stimulating pieces of musical history and wonderment, there will be no reason for the streaming radio services to even bother carrying the likes of Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller. Then there will be nothing for your brain to anchor itself to and it will just fall out through your ear canal onto the floor where it will be stepped on by a horde of people text messaging.

Listen to Satch Plays Fats! Before it's too late!!!!