Whether you know him through the standards he wrote or the scenario he inspired in “Be Kind Rewind,” Fats Waller is an American music personality to be cherished. And now Jason Moran, modern musical tornado and MacArthur fellow, has come forward with a tribute album in honor of Waller.
All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller collects both Waller originals (“Ain’t Misbehavin,” “Honeysuckle Rose”) and favorite standards (“Two Sleepy People,” “Sheik of Araby”). On some the tribute is literal—the cadence on “Two Sleepy People” is a study in the kind of crooning popular in Waller’s time—while on others it’s more figurative—Moran’s piano on “Lulu’s Back In Town” skitters and hops in a way that recalls Waller’s tinkling but is decidedly more modern.
Running the gamut from light, bobbing funk (evident especially on the two most famous Waller originals, “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’”) to hard-lined pop grooves (“The Joint is Jumpin’”) All Rise is a tribute in every sense of the word.
Because Fats Waller, as a performer, was not duplicable by any successful measure. His original recordings abounded in witty asides and interesting improvisations—there were times it seemed that he would be addressing the listener directly. For the record, I recommend you seek out the triple disc set If You Got To Ask You Ain’t Got It! to get a better idea of how Waller sounded and why he’s important in the history of American jazz/ragtime.
Nonetheless, as tribute, as musical expression, Moran succeeds winningly on All Rise. The success comes—in no small part—from his choice to have himself and the band play homage, instead of recreate Waller. And it works.
Rating: B+
