May I most respectfully correct Adam Ramet, who said yesterday that
there are no hi-fi records of Fats Waller playing the pipe organ.
I have such a CD, a 'reissue' of several sides Mr. Waller recorded for
HMV in 1938, on their studio pipe organ. Not exactly hi-fi, but these
are either made from original nickel, or awfully good remasters from
shellac. So they are as hi-fidelity as any recordings made in that
era.
The problem is that the label, 'Disques Swing', is so obscure that none
of the usual sources list it, or list the CD title: "Fats Waller in
London" - CDXP 8442. I think I bought it from the discount bin in one
of the shops at Heathrow, 10 years ago. There is no address or any
other information in the booklet. After an hour of net search, I came
across a 'chat group' item that mentioned that 'Disques Swing' was a
label used at one time by DRG Records.
If you click here http://www.drgrecords.com/ then enter 'Waller' in
the search field, you will find that CD is still available for sale
on-line. If you enjoyed the record of Mr. Waller's organ playing,
simulated from piano rolls, you will be truly amazed hearing the real
thing.
Richard Vance
[ Many vinyl test pressings of Waller's recordings survive. I was
[ astonished when I heard and viewed the discs, which sounded and
[ looked like they were recorded in the early 1950s. -- Robbie
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