Reflections of Fats
Jeff Barnhart, piano & vocal; Jamie Brownfield, trumpet;
John Hallam, reeds; Bruce Rollo, bass; Nick Ward, drums.
Honeysuckle Rose; At Twilight; Hold My Hand; Keepin' Out Of Mischief Now; Keep A Song In Your Soul; Moppin' And Boppin'; You Must Be Losing Your Mind; Blue Turning Gray Over You; Ain't Misbehavin'; Rump Steak Serenade; My Fate Is In Your Hands; Your Feet's Too Big; Twelfth Street Rag; Do You Have To Go?; The Joint Is Jumpin'. This CD was produced to introduce Jeff Barnhart's new concert show on the life, times and music of Fats Waller (and no doubt with an eye to after-concert sales), but please don't wait until the show appears at a venue near you before you acquire a copy of this excellent disc.
Jeff scarcely needs introducing to Just Jazz readers, but for the record he is a fantastic pianist, a fine goodtime vocalist, a positive cornucopia of tunes both familiar and obscure, and a wonderfully larger-than-life personality: all in all, not too far away from a description of Mr. Waller himself, come to think of it, but though I can personally vouch for Mr. Barnhart's healthy appetite, all comparisons with Fats end well before the waistline!
On the present CD, Jeff serves us up a hearty helping from Fats' astonishing musical menu (said to be in excess of 500 compositions, including those he sold to other composers and which did not appear under his name). As for any popular concert program, Jeff has wisely selected a mix of the familiar favorites and some of Waller's lesser-known - but never less musically rewarding - offerings, quite a few of which come from the latter years of Fats ‘career leading up to his untimely death in 1942 at the age of just thirty-nine. Amongst the relative rarities, it's perhaps worth drawing attention to Do You Have To Go? and At Twilight, two tender ballads written by Fats with lyrics by his second wife, Anita, rather than his longtime lyricist Andy Razaf, also the1943 Moppin' And Boppin, co-written with Benny Carter and You Must Be Losing Your Mind, an up-tempo morsel from 1942, while among the better known tunes a thoughtful treatment of the lovely My Fate Is In Your Hands is perhaps the standout number on the CD (to my ears at any rate) with a fine performance from Jeff and a tender reading from John Hallam on tenor. While Jeff is the central figure around whom all revolves, he is blessed without standing accompaniment from the other members of his little band: to single anyone out is, I know, invidious, but I must mention Jamie Brownfield on trumpet. In amongst the (relative) veterans here, he plays with a tone, swing, poise and assurance that belie his (relatively) tender years: if this is how he sounds while still a teenager, then watch out for the things to come! To close, I should also mention Ray Smith's informative and insightful booklet notes, which give a lot of background to Fats' career in general and to the writing of the songs on this disc in particular. Add Lake's usual excellent sound quality and ample playing time and you have no excuse for not acquiring this recording "toot sweet - it's a killer-diller!" to paraphrase Mr. Waller.
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