[Dixielandjazz] Re: Organs in Jazz - Was Fats Waller first?

[Bill Haesler]

Dear Steve,
Regarding your question: >Has anybody got those early Fats Waller records with
him on organ?
Of course! Hasn't everyone on the DJML got them?
8>)
For those who haven't heard the Waller pipe organ stuff, I can tell you that I
think it is magnificent.
Yet my wife Jess has always been unimpressed. Reminds her of the local picture
theatre when she was growing up in Scotland.
Fats was brought up in the Abyssinian Baptist Church, of which his father was a
pastor. Apart from the piano at home, Fats also played organ in the church. As a
young teenager Fats was fascinated by the Lincoln Theatre (New York) organ and
was eventually employed as organist there, for 10 days, when he was 15.  
The first pipe organ recording featuring Fats Waller was made with Fletcher
Henderson's Orch on 3 Nov 1926 - "The Chant" (great Tommy Ladnier, t.).
On 17 Nov 1926 Waller made the first of his pipe organ solos for Victor at the
ex-Trinity Church Building, Camden NJ, which Victor has purchased and was using
as a recording studio. Fats also played an engagement (March-April 1927) at the
Vendome Theatre, Chicago, as organist/pianist. 
Subsequent Victor sessions featuring Fats at the pipe organ were made in Jan,
Feb and May (with Alberta Hunter) 1927 and Aug 1929. The May date also included
sides by Fats Waller (p/po) with (Tom) Morris' Hot Babies. Marvellous stuff! 
Sales must have been good too, as they were back in Dec 1927. The Waller organ
solos and the Morris Hot Babies' sides have been reissued on LP and CD, but may
be hard to find. I suggest your best bet would be the French Classics label.
Maybe Jazz Jerry can advise.
But Fats was not the first to record on the Victor pipe organ, Jesse Crawford
(Dec 1925) and some classical musicians had preceded him. Nor was Fats the first
jazz organist to record. Fred Longshaw did that on reed organ with Bessie Smith
(and Louis) for Columbia in Jan 1925 - "The St Louis Blues/Reckless Blues". It
was probably the organ Fats used on the Henderson band side.
Fats also recorded some soulful Hammond organ sides for V-Disc in Sept 1943. His
last records!
As we have come to expect, the emphasis in Ben Waltzer NY Times article is
overlong on the modern jazz aspect of organ playing. In fact I was surprised to
see the reference to Fats Waller.
Other OKOM organ recordings include Ruby Braff and Dick Hyman in 1976 (although
these have their genesis in the early Fats solos). 
And no reference to organ records should overlook the 26 June 1939 session for
Columbia with Lee Castaldo, t; Lester Young, ts/cl; Glenn Hardman, org; Freddie
Greene, g; & Jo Jones, d. The six sides were issued, including a feature for
Hardman, "Upright Organ Blues".
8>)
My copy is an LP (Young). I do not know of any CD reissues. Jazz Jerry again?
As is usual for me. More than you needed to know. 
Kind regards,
Bill.
PS: Guess what I am playing at the moment? Yep! The Fats' organ sides. Thanks
for the reminder.