Search - Fats Waller :: Centennial Collection (Bonus Dvd)

Great best-of collection with added archival video

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 08/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pianist-singer Fats Waller was one of the great performers of the Great Depression era, embuing countless recordings with his playful wit and lively, cheerful humor... There are about a bazillion collections of his work out there -- definitives, ultimates, greatests and anthologies galore -- but what this tasty collection has to off that others do not is a tasty bonus DVD disc of vintage film material, presenting Waller at his finest. Taken largely from short, one-reeler films, these archival clips show Waller at work in his milieu; some may find the eye-rolling and big-grinnin' depictations of African-American juke-joints and house parties to be offensive, but Waller was a transcendant showman who took these images to a level far above stereotypes, and into the realm of immortal art. I think most fans will simply revel in the chance to see Fats in the flesh, as it were, and while there are only a handful of video clips on this disc, they are really, really cool to watch. The music CD is awesome as well... although many fans may find that one CD's worth of Waller's music just ain't enough. Good thing all those bazillions of other CDs are out there as well. But if you want a good starting point, this collection is highly recommended."

Where have all the Bluebirds gone?

BP | New York | 04/28/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"There are dozens of great, great Fats Waller sides for Bluebird out there somewhere, but it seems they are oh so out of print. This is one disc of fine music, but Fats is so much more than this. What jazz fans want is not yet another single disc smattering compilation of Fats Waller. What we want is access to all those great Bluebird records from the 30's (his best years) on CD. Let's hope RCA will stop sitting on them."