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Fats Waller - The Complete Recorded Works


EKE BBB

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On the "completeness" of this set, here's a mail I received recently from discographer Stephen Taylor (the "man" regarding Waller's discography nowadays):

Re: Fats Waller - Complete Recorded Works on JSP, vol. 1

I received a copy the 4 x CD box set, and it includes all known

recordings from Mx. 70948-D Muscle Shoals Blues of circa 21 October

1922 to Mx. 146540-1 Mournful Tho'ts of 18 June 1928. This includes

recordings which have only been issued on 78s or from test records.

Matrix numbers are correct except Mx. 38045-2 is stated as -1. Also,

Mx. 37357-1/3 is stated as -1 (which may be correct, but see comment

in my discography).

Issue remastered by Ted Kendall from original source material,

including vinyl tests (which include many of the pipe organ sides).

Sound quality is very good indeed.

Regards,

Stephen Taylor

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Listening closely to the first Fats Waller session (Muscle Shoals Blues/Bimingham Blues, from October 21, 1922) from this JSP set. I am at work and using my laptop with mid-range headphones, so no audiophile analysis, but I have to say that I am really impressed by Kendall's remastering work. Maintaining some surface noise, Waller's piano comes to the frontline with a brilliant sound.

Will A/B-check with my Classics CDs tonight, but there's a winner, for sure!

:tup

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For the sake of all who don't yet have copies of Fats's recordings, I'm glad that they are being released again. This stuff is too important to be stuck in the vaults.

I have all of this material, and don't plan to buy it all again, though. It's over 20 CDs. I think the RCA box sets from the mid 90s sound fine.

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John L., everything that was on volume 3 of the King Jazz series is on that JSP Volume 3 set (discs 2 and 3).

Did not investigate those Fats Waller King Jazz CDs since I was foolishly hoping at the time that Orin Keepnews would do the job right when he started the BlueBird Fats Waller reissues series in the early '90s.

Those JSP sets are the way to go for fans of Fats Waller!

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I have all the King Jazz cds. I decided about six months ago to try out the JSP. This is a more complete series by far, and has better sound than the King Jazz cds. (I love the King Jazz series though, which fueled my first real obsession with Fats, I'd heard quite a bit of Fats before those but didn't really "have to hear him" then).

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This comes from Fats Waller discographer Stephen Taylor:

JSP946 "Fats Waller, Volume 3. 1934–1936 Rhythm and Romance" (2007) – 4 x CD box set continues from JSP928, with complete commercial recordings (i.e. excluding the Associated transcriptions, film soundtracks, and radio broadcasts) from Mx. 86208-2 "African Ripples" from 16 November 1934 to Mx. 102405-1 "Bye, Bye, Baby" from 1 August 1936, including the recently discovered alternate take of "Lulu's Back In Town" Mx. 89760-2.

As usual with the JSP sets the liner notes are nothing to write home about, and includes a curious polemic called "Don't Mess With The IRS" about the IRS catching up with Al Capone and others, which as far as I know has nothing to do with Fats. According to his son Maurice, Fats didn't even have a bank account!!

The good news is that the matrix numbers are all correct.

Ted Kendall used original source material wherever possible, including original 78s and test pressings, and the sound restorations are to a high standard, although I personally prefer a slightly lighter touch on the noise reduction. I don't think I've heard the 1934 piano solos in better fidelity, and many of the other tracks sound fine. A few of the tracks are from less than perfect originals, but it's very difficult to track down pristine examples of the earlier recordings, and in any case Victor 78s are notorious for being noisy.

Overall, this set is an excellent set and recommend it to the group.

By the way, the JSP set has been added to my updated "Additions and Corrections" listing for my book Fats Waller on the Air: The Radio Broadcasts and Discography (Scarecrow Press, 2006). The pdf file is available gratis to anyone interested by writing to me at fatswaller@gmail. com

Regards to all,

Steve Taylor

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JSP948 "Fats Waller, Volume 4. 1936–1938 New York–Chicago–Hollywood" (2007) – 4 x CD box set, continuing from JSP946, with complete commercial recordings from Mx. 0339-1 "S'posin'" from 9 September 1936 to Mx. 022436-2 "Inside (This Heart Of Mine)", including the previously unissued alternate Take-1 of "Big Business" (Parts 1 & 2) (p 184-185), left over from JSP928.

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