STRIDE: THE MUSIC OF FATS WALLER (MACMILLAN POPULAR MUSIC SERIES)

Already known as a Wagner scholar for his work on the sketches of the Flying Dutchman, Paul Machlin has for many years taken a scholarly interest in the school of Harlem 'stride' jazz pianists. Stride: The Music of Fats Waller is a full analysis of the piano music of Waller as composer, soloist and recording artist. 38 music examples illustrate Waller's complex keyboard style and improvisatory techniques. The discussion of Waller's piano music is set in the context of a biographical study, and a discography listing all known recordings by the pianist. This first book-length examination of Waller's music demonstrates his art as an important current running through the mainstream of jazz and provides an insightful look at his life and his music. Beginning with a brief biographical chapter, Machlin analyzes several of Waller's 1929 piano solos in detail, and includes critical corollaries on his accompanimental and vocal styles early in his career. He describes the style known as "stride," a keyboard technique in which the left hand is constantly alternating between a bass note and a tenor-range chord. He also examines Waller's pipe organ recordings and the more introspective music of his heyday, 1935-43, and Waller's influence on Duke Ellington and Count Basie. The comprehensive discography illuminates the magnitude and breadth of Waller's accomplishment. ISBN 0-8057-9468-9 : $16.95 Front Matter....Pages i-xvi “Exuberance is the Spontaneity of Life”....Pages 1-7 Waller Strides Forward....Pages 8-40 Born Again: The Pipe Organ as Jazz Instrument....Pages 41-77 Transformations....Pages 78-102 Back Matter....Pages 103-167