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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 10, 1980)
Page 4 Portland Observer July 10. 1980 ENTERTAINMENT HAPPENINGS ENTERTAINMENT Fats Waller American State Bank "The Bank that integration b u ilt" 2737 N.E. Union 282 2216 "Ain't Misbehavin'' Gargantuan is the word that most precisely describes Fats Waller. He was in every way immense and prodigious. His appetites and his talents were large and inexhaustible. His friend and teacher, James P. Johnson, once said, "Some little people have music in them, but Fats, he was all music, and you know how big he was.” He was 5 feet 10'/i inches tall and weighed 285 poun ds. He was all laughter too - or almost all - and the most persistent image o f Fats is the picture o f him settled down at the piano with a bottle o f gin near by, his eyebrows raised, his derby askew and a cigarette dangling from his wide, cockeyed smile. He always let you know that there was at least one more joke inside the one he had just told. A fter paying a visit to Clifford L. Alexander. Jr., Secretary of the Arm y at the Pentagon. Internationally renow ned com poaer-pianiat Eubie Blake it preaented the Army's Civilian M eritorious A w ard by Alexander during a resounding special concert Blake perform ed w ith the U S Army Band on the steps of the N ation's Capitol. An e n thusiastic audience of thousands was on hand. Blake, 97. w ho has been an im portant contributor to American music for more than 90 years, creating more than 3,600 tunes, and several Broadway plays, thrilled the huge throng w ith his songs, "I'm Just Wild About H arry," Memories of You," and others. The Arm y Award was presented for Blake s unselfish and distinguished contributions to troop entertain ment during World War II. Thomas Wright Waller grew up in the exciting musical atmosphere o f Harlem in the teens and 20s. His parents were deeply religious and Fats started out playing the organ in the Abyssinian Baptist Church and studying classical piano technique. He also began working with Harlem stride-piano masters like James P. Johnson and W illie “ The Lion” Smith, although his father insisted that jazz was ‘ ‘ music from the devil’ s workshop.” Soon he was accompanying the silent pictures at the Lincoln Theater on 135th street and making his reputation at uptown rent parties - those all-night affairs so fondly remembered in The Joint is Jumpm When he was still in his early 20s Fats began his collaboration with lyricist Andy Razaf; they scored their first success in 1928 with "Keep S huffhn ." The next year was miraculous: Fats - only 25 years old - and Razaf wrote the score for the Broadway hit " H o t C hocolates" (which included A in 't Misbehaving and Black and Blue/ as well as Honeysuckle Rose, I ’ve Got a heeling I ’m Falling (lyric credited to Billy Rose) and a host o f other distinguished tunes. E.S.I? 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O “ “ U pf] 4!— I can and w ill help you If you are sick or wor- ried come at once in person Call in person. 1121 N E Sandy Blvd . Portland, Oregon 97213 Take N.E. Sandy Bus No. 14 — Next to Sportscar Center 284 3352 Open 7 days a week—8 am to 10 pm Call for appointment Sunday only! 1/2 PRICE READING WITH THIS COUPON DO YOU REALLY WANT TO SAVE ON YOUR FOOD BILL? We offer savings of up to 40% and more on fine quality wonder and Hostess products, plus large discounts on othei baked goods Besides our every day low prices, we feature in store specials daily Just look for the bar gam signs on the displays in our store Discover for yourself what thou sands of smart shoppers in the area have found Special Things, the just-released Fantasy album by Pleasure, was preview ed at a listening party recently held at Fantasy Studios. Berkeley. M artha Wash of the Tw o Ton "o " Fun, w ho was a guest at the event, voices her w hole-hearted approval of the new LP to Pleasure's bassist. Nathaniel Phillips Y o u 'll be a m a zed a t th e sa vin g s yo u m a k e a t o u r W o n d e r T h r ift S h o p ! : Food stam ps gla dly accepted J SATISFACTION GUARANTEED " A IN 'T M IS B E H A V IN ," the Tony A w ard -w in n in g musical smash hit, returns by popular demand to the Portland A uditorium for eight performances July 15-20 S h o w tim e is 8 00 PM each evening w ith 2 30 matinees scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. The show - w hich is nearly devoid of dialogue and centered around the life, times and music of the fam ous jazz pianist - is an energetic, joyous, irresistible evocation of W aller and his era You must be completely satisfied with every purchase or we will cheedully refund your purchase price WONDER-HOSTESS THRIFTSHOP 115 N Cook St. C o rn e r o f V a n co u ve r ft C ook St P o rtla n d . O regon O pen M o n th ru Sat 9am 6pm - C losed S undays Tickets for the N orthw est Releasing event are on sale at the Ticket Place at Frederick b Nelson (do w nto w n ) and the usual outlets. Il was in that same year that Fats signed a contract with Victor, the com pany for whom he performed until the recording ban o f World War II. Fats records, which began with " T A in 't N obody’s Biz-ness I f / Do in 1922, spread his fame across the United States and around the world. It seemed that he could make any tune sound entertaining. The finale o f ‘ ‘/4/n7 Misbehavm, ” in fact, is made up o f some o f the songs written by others that Fats Waller made hits. Fats also widened his audience by appearing regularly on WLW in Cincin nati, a radio station which at that time could be heard throughout the county. It was there, in 1932 and 1933, that he formed the band known simply as Rhythm, with which he achieved his greatest success. With some changes in personnel, the group appeared in three feature films - "H ooray f o r Love, ” "The King o f Burlesque" and "Storm y Weather" - and numerous short sub jects. Fats’ musicianship was highly regarded, especially in Europe, where jazz was probably taken more seriously than in the United States. His over seas tours in 1938 and 1939 were triumphs, and in 1942 he gave a jazz concert at Carnegie Hall. And he never lost love for the classics - his organ perfor mances of Bach are legendary. The sucess o f Fats Waller’s records, movies, radio appearances and tours made him one o f the first American superstars. Fats was as generous as he was overindulging, and stories o f his bigheart- edness and high-living abound. He consumed enormous quantities o f food and liquor. He bought instruments for down-and-out musicians, loaned money to friends without being asked and treated himself to a 510,000 Lin coln automobile. O fte j, however, his alimony troubles would leave him brOke and in jail, writing songs for Tin Pan Alley publishers in exchange for bail money. The party that was Fats Waller’s life ended suddenly, when he died of pneumonia aboard the Same Fe Chied in 1943. As a musician, Fats raised the art o f stride piano to its highest level and in so doing became one o f the originators o f swing music. He was probably the greatest combination o f musician and comedian that America has ever produced. As a composer, pianist and singer he wove comedy and music together so well that his songs are as fresh and funny today as they were 50 years ago. In another time and place Fats W aller might never have become a comedian and might have been the classical artist his parents - and perhaps he himself - wanted him to be. Listening to the joy and laughter o f "A in ’t Misbehaving," though, we can revel in his genius and say right along with him, ‘ ‘ One never knows, do one?” SEE SPORTS O N G IA N T SCREEN T V. JOE’S PLACE 1801 N.E. Alberta restaurant LUNCHES AND DINNERS FEATURING A SELEC TION OF TRADITIONAL SOUTHERN DISHES. OPEN 5DAYS A W EEK FOR BREAKFAST SAT. & SUN. OPEN 11 o’clock Sunday Buffet noon to 4 pm Happy Hours 7 -1 0 AM & 4 - 7 PM MON.-FRI. Live entertainment 7 days a week 287 8723 1530 n.e. grand Avenue at Weidler Free parking on the premises WINl I «
