Benjamin Intartaglia asked about the authenticity of QRS Fats Waller
rolls.  There have been several quite learned dissertations on this in
pamphlet form over the years, some from people who corresponded with
J Lawrence Cook on this very matter, but the rule of thumb is that the
rolls which bear the word "Thomas" are Fats, with or without editing,
and the ones which say "Fats Waller" are wholly JLC faking him with
his permission.

I like to fancy that I can tell the difference by ear after a couple
of bars -- there's too much cod-Dixieland about JLC of that period for
my taste -- but suspect I would soon be shown to be wrong.  Cook did
some sparkling rolls under his own name in the decade 1935-45 and
composed some rolls in the 1920s that are indistinguishable from people
like Lem Fowler.

The authority is John Farrell, who has transcribed a number of Fats
songs into piano solo rolls, giving us "new" Waller pieces.

Dan Wilson, London