Alligator Crawl By Fats Waller Analysis
I can still remember when I was a mere child taking piano lessons. When I grew older and my piano teacher began to prepare me for ABRSM piano exams, I can clearly recall the first time I was exposed to jazz music. The first jazz piece I have ever played was “Alligator Crawl” by Fats Waller. At first, for my classically trained ears, the discordant chords and seemingly random note choices made no sense to me. As I begin to master the piece, I revel in the technical difficulty and fun the piece provided. There was such a free spirit and joy to the tune that I could not help but smile every time I play that piece. That moment ignited my passion to delve into the different genres of music available in the world other than classical music. Since
…show more content…
Throughout his career, he recorded with various groups such as Morris’s Hot Babes (1927), Fats Waller's Buddies (1929) and McKinney's Cotton Pickers (1929),
Waller also collaborated with lyricists Edgar Dowell, J. C. Johnson, Andy Razaf, and Spencer Williams to produce “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Black and Blue”. Through this collaboration, he started his string collaboration relationship with Andy Razaf.
Waller’s best collaborations were with Andy Razaf with whom he wrote two of his most famous stage songs, "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Ain't Misbehavin'." Razaf and him wrote most of the music for “Keep Shufflin” (1928), an all-black Broadway musical. They also worked together on much of the music for shows “Load of the Coal” and “Hot Chocolates”.
In May 1934, he began a series of recordings with a small band known as Fats Waller and his Rhythm. This group usually included Herman Autrey, Gene Sedric or Rudy Powell, and Al Casey. During Waller’s tours, he had a band consisting of the members of Fats Waller and his Rhythm and an expansion led by Charlie Turner's
Throughout his career, he recorded with various groups such as Morris’s Hot Babes (1927), Fats Waller's Buddies (1929) and McKinney's Cotton Pickers (1929),
Waller also collaborated with lyricists Edgar Dowell, J. C. Johnson, Andy Razaf, and Spencer Williams to produce “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Black and Blue”. Through this collaboration, he started his string collaboration relationship with Andy Razaf.
Waller’s best collaborations were with Andy Razaf with whom he wrote two of his most famous stage songs, "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Ain't Misbehavin'." Razaf and him wrote most of the music for “Keep Shufflin” (1928), an all-black Broadway musical. They also worked together on much of the music for shows “Load of the Coal” and “Hot Chocolates”.
In May 1934, he began a series of recordings with a small band known as Fats Waller and his Rhythm. This group usually included Herman Autrey, Gene Sedric or Rudy Powell, and Al Casey. During Waller’s tours, he had a band consisting of the members of Fats Waller and his Rhythm and an expansion led by Charlie Turner's