num_pages: 193
description: Fats Waller (1904-1943) was an outsize man in all five feet eleven inches tall, he weighed 285 pounds. He was the greatest of the Harlem "stride" pianists, he composed hundreds of songs, he led a band which made over 400 recordings and he wrote several Broadway shows. Waller is seen by jazz historians as a man of immense musical talent which was never fulfilled, in the interests of his career as a popular and humorous entertainer. In this fully revised and updated biography of Waller, Alyn Shipton re-examines his career, arguing that his talents as a songwriter, show composer and brilliant recording and broadcasting artist have not been fully appreciated. A new final chapter, provides a comprehensive survey of Waller's recordings as they have been reissued for the CD era
language: English
title: Jazz Life and Times: Fats Waller
publisher: Omnibus Press