What genre is Fats Waller?
Jazz
Fats Waller/Genres
Who influenced Fats Waller?
James P. Johnson
Overcoming opposition from his clergyman father, Waller became a professional pianist at 15, working in cabarets and theatres, and soon became deeply influenced by James P. Johnson, the founder of the stride school of jazz piano.
Who was mentored by Fats Waller?
However Fats Waller topped them all with his contributions in five different but overlapping areas. First and foremost, Waller was one of jazz’s greatest stride pianists, following in the footsteps and eventually surpassing his mentor and idol James P. Johnson.
Is Fats Waller still alive?
Deceased (1904–1943)
Fats Waller/Living or Deceased
Can Fats Waller read music?
Waller copyrighted over 400 songs, many of them co-written with his closest collaborator, Andy Razaf. Razaf described his partner as “the soul of melody… a man who made the piano sing… both big in body and in mind… known for his generosity… a bubbling bundle of joy”….
| Fats Waller | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1918–1943 |
Was Fats Waller good?
He became one of the most popular and influential performers of his era and a master of stride piano playing, finding critical and commercial success in both the United States and abroad, particularly in Europe. Waller was also a prolific songwriter, with many of his compositions becoming huge commercial successes.
Who taught Fats Waller?
After his mother died when he was 14, Waller moved into the home of pianist Russell Brooks, where he met and studied with James P. Johnson. Later, Waller also received classical lessons from Carl Bohm and the famous pianist Leopold Godowsky.
How hard is it to learn stride piano?
Stride piano is a conceptually simple but technically difficult left hand technique that was widely used by early Jazz pianists. And because you’re playing on every beat it creates quite a powerful and driving rhythm, and for that reason is a great technique for solo piano.