Takehiro Irokawa's Fats Waller
A Bachelor's Love Letter
The title track of Chapter 9 is "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," also known as "I'll Write a Letter." Also, "Two Sleepy People" is in the spotlight. These two songs are the main focus of this chapter, and both are familiar Fats Waller numbers, meaning this is a feature episode for him.
First, "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," officially.
The source of the recording is likely from 1935. The lineup includes Herman Autrey on trumpet, Rudy Powell on clarinet, Al Casey on guitar, Charlie Turner on bass, Harry Dial on drums, and Fats Waller on vocals and piano.
Next, "Two Sleepy People," officially.
The source of the recording is likely from 1938. Fats Waller is on vocals and piano, and the ensemble is "& His Rhythm," which should consist of Gene Sedric on saxophone, Herman Autrey on trumpet, Al Casey on guitar, Cedric Wallace on bass, and Slick Jones on trap drums.
(The copy I have on hand is an old RCA monaural record; while it lists recording dates and such, other data is omitted.)
The first song, "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," is a 1935 work by composer Fred E. Ahlert and writer Joe Young, a kind of torch song that is both pathetic and humorous. It seems it was a favorite of his, as he reportedly decided to record it immediately after seeing the sheet music, which had just been completed (according to Hiroshi Aoki's perspective).
Fred E. Ahlert is the composer of "Mean to Me." Joe Young is a lyricist famous for "Dinah." Perhaps he is also surprisingly well-known in Japan for "Lullaby of the Leaves" with Bernice Petkere? Ella Fitzgerald and Anita O'Day have sung it, and The Ventures also had a hit with it (though it is an electric instrumental).
The second song, "Two Sleepy People," is a work by composer Hoagy Carmichael and writer Frank Loesser. I will skip the master Hoagy Carmichael. Frank Loesser, for example, wrote "The Boys in the Back Room" in 1939, composed by Friedrich Hollaender, whom I introduced previously with the Weintraubs Syncopators; it is famous as a song from the movie "Destry Rides Again" released that same year, sung by Marlene Dietrich.
Returning to the topic, the origin of this song began with the 1938 hit movie "The Big Broadcast," which featured the song "Thanks for the Memory" by Shirley Ross and Bob Hope, which I introduced in the first installment. As a sequel, "Thanks for the Memory" was produced and released that same year, and "Two Sleepy People" was written specifically for it. If you are interested in this original movie version (the Shirley Ross and Bob Hope version), there is also a soundtrack available.
There is also a version of this song sung by Hoagy Carmichael himself. Let's have that officially.
The source of the recording is likely from 1956. The main lineup includes Art Pepper on saxophone, Harry "Sweets" Edison and Don Fagerquist on trumpet, Jimmy Rowles on piano, and Johnny Mandel as conductor. It is included on the album "Hoagy Sings Carmichael," which is also a masterpiece recommended by the master Irokawa.
I will introduce one more song, also recommended by the master, "Ain't Misbehavin'." Let's have the official early version without vocals; please indulge in the piano solo.
The source of the recording is likely from 1929. Of course, the piano is by Fats Waller.
The master is also in love with his organ playing, so now, let's have the official vocal version of the same song.
The source of the recording is likely from 1938, and it is included on the album "'Fats' In London." The song was co-written by Fats Waller and Harry Brooks, with lyrics by Andy Razaf. I have the impression that Harry Brooks and Andy Razaf collaborated with Fats Waller quite often. Brooks is known for "Black and Blue" with Razaf, and Razaf is known for "Honeysuckle Rose," among others.
Regarding this "Ain't Misbehavin'," the Japanese title is profound, and when I first heard it, I understood "ain't," but I couldn't understand why "misbehavin'" was translated as "uwaki" (infidelity). There is a translation by Hiroshi Aoki (in "Jazz Standards 100," co-authored with Hiroshi Unno, Shincho-sha) that mentions "abstaining" and gives "Love Is the Thing" as an example. Referring to such commentary and following the lyrics, I thought, "I see." However, I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but listening to it again at this age (as I grow older), combined with Fats Waller's performance, it really hits home.
King of Burlesque
By the way, the master mentions the 1936 movie "King of Burlesque." It seems it was released in Japan before the war. Simply put, it is a B-movie version of a romance story about a showman, similar to "The Great Ziegfeld." I will quickly introduce the songs from the movie: it opens with Alice Faye's "Whose Big Baby Are You?" In "Sweet Georgia Brown," there is a tap dance by Alice Faye and the Paxton Sisters (this scene is short).
I learned for the first time in this movie that the Paxton Sisters were Arline Judge and Virginia Dale, and Virginia Dale was the actress who partnered with Fred Astaire in the dance number from the 1942 film 'Holiday Inn'.
Other Alice Faye numbers include 'I'm Shooting High' and 'I Love to Ride the Horses on a Merry-Go-Round.' I believe the tap and song 'Whose Big Baby Are You?' was performed by veteran dancer Dixie Dunbar, right? The trapeze scene 'Lovely Lady' features Kenny Baker, who also sang in the 1946 film 'The Harvey Girls.' And then there is the tapper Eddie Foy Jr., I believe, and various dance scenes—with my limited knowledge, I'm not entirely sure! I imagine someone well-versed in the dancers of yesteryear would find quite a few discoveries here.
As for the main attraction, Fats Waller, he appears as an elevator boy, and toward the end, he performs a leisurely version of 'I've Got My Fingers Crossed,' with Dixie Dunbar's tap dancing adding flair to the scene. As for the film as a whole—well, I hate to say it, but the parts outside of the musical scenes left little impression. In the burlesque scene at the 'King's Mama' (or similar title), it was interesting to see how burlesque was perceived at the time of production (the 30s). It is said that burlesque has no particular definition other than a leaning toward sex appeal (as 'erotic' is subjective), so if a revue has a notable degree of eroticism, it could be called burlesque.
(I recognize burlesque as being one step away from a striptease, but when watching old burlesque works, it becomes clear that the foundation is, above all, vaudeville.)
Also, among Fats Waller's films is the 1943 'Stormy Weather,' but as a black film, it is a historical work—any explanation from someone like me would be superfluous. However, this chapter also touches on tapper Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson, so just a little bit. He is one of the world's most famous dancers and a pioneer of tap. In the film, Bill Robinson is the partner of Lena Horne (the pianist's partner is Emmett 'Babe' Wallace).
There is also Ada Scott Brown's 'That Ain't Right,' and the drummer in that tavern scene is Zutty Singleton. Toward the end, there is the grand staircase tap routine by the Nicholas Brothers (Fayard Nicholas & Harold Nicholas). Of course, you can also enjoy Fats Waller's singing and playing; the content is so packed that I think it is better to view it as a collection of songs within the film rather than worrying about the soundtrack.
Part 20 [Takeo Shikagawa's George Gershwin] Part 22 [
It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing!]