Q about Fats Waller

[timote316]

Posted: 10/31/04 at 10:30pm

I have a question that's been bugging me since Thursday. On a test, a question was what college did Fats Waller attend (its a Play Production class. We saw Aint Misbehavin, and had to know all sorts of background info about him and the show). I looked in the background info we got, and online, but I cannot find this info anywhere! Could someone help me out? (I would ask in class, but its on Tuesday, and its bugging me lol)

This question is somewhat theater related... lol

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/31/04 at 10:45pm

College??? Few, if any, jazz and blues musicians of that era completed high school, let alone sought higher education.

Waller won a talent contest at 14 that led him to study with the legendary stride pianist James P. Johnson. He signed his first record deal at 16 at then went out on the road thereafter. As far as I know, he never went to college (neither did Scott Joplin, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Cab Calloway, Art Tatum, Thelonius Monk, Eubie Blake, or any of the great jazz musicians other than Miles Davis -- who dropped out of Julliard after a few months -- and W.C. Handy).

Updated On: 10/31/04 at 10:45 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/31/04 at 11:00pm

From pbs.org:

"There is some evidence to support Waller's claims that during his formative years as a pianist he studied with Leopold Godowsky and composition with Carl Bohm at the Juilliard School."

I doubt that that means that Waller was ever a full-time student a Julliard (if he was, I'm sure Julliard would make sure the world knew about it -- however, perhaps he did some individual study with Bohm).
http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_waller_fats.htm

Updated On: 10/31/04 at 11:00 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/31/04 at 11:06pm

Great minds think alike.

[timote316]

Posted: 11/1/04 at 7:22am

Hm, so it appears to be a trick question... lol. Thanks Margo and Undiscovered. I'll have to see what my teacher claims is the correct answer...