In MMD031007, Robbie wrote (in response to Benjamin Intartaglia
regarding Thomas Waller's rolls):
>[ I've heard he was brought to the QRS studio by James P. Johnson
>[ when he was 19 years old and was still regularly playing the
>[ church organ. This might explain why many Waller rolls sound
>[ equally good on a player organ; the single-note melody with the
>[ right hand is more typical of jazz organ than piano. -- Robbie
Indeed, these rolls do sound wonderful on an organ. I have a CD
entitled "Fats at The Organ". For this CD, an 88-note player action
was (somehow) adapated to play an English theater organ.
Of course, this was a horribly complicated task, given the differing
compass of an organ manual and a piano keyboard, not to mention
couplers, pedals and so forth. Regardless, the CD is done very well,
with careful attention to appropriate registration and dynamic changes,
which are based on the few "live" organ recordings Waller made.
Thomas Waller was the first true jazz organist, and to think of him
only as a pianist is a sadly narrow view. I have heard it said that
the organ had a special place in his heart, while the piano laid claim
only to his stomach.
The information on this CD is as follows:
Fats at The Organ
Living Era CD AJA 5007
Academy Sound and Vision Ltd. 1981
179-181 North End Road, London W14 9NL
Distributed by Pinnacle Records
Unit 2, Oprington Trading Estate, Sevenoaks Way,
Orpington, Kent BR5 3SR
Bryan Cather
[ This tune list found at http://www.asv.co.uk/aja5007.htm :
[
[ Clearing House Blues / Do It! Mister So And So / Don't Try To Take
[ My Loving Man Away / Eighteenth Street Strut / If I Could Be With
[ You One Hour Tonight / I'm Coming, Virginia / Laughin' Cryin' Blues /
[ Midnight Blues / Nobody But My Baby Is Getting My Love / Papa, Betta
[ Watch Your Step / Squeeze Me / 'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do /
[ You Can't Do What My Last Man Did / Your Time Now
[
[ -- Robbie
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