SATCH PLAYS FATS

Based upon the artistic and commercial success of Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy, George Avakian gathered the All Stars into the studio again for a second session to record tunes by Fats Waller. This is also a stunning album: the All Stars, at the top of their form, play great material by a single composer. All Stars vocalist Velma Middleton, is especially captivating. Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller only worked together twice, But Waller made an indelible enough impression for Satchmo to record the tribute album Satch Plays Fats: The Music of Fats Waller in 1955 when such ideas were new. Armstrong infuses these pieces with a style very true to Fats' own, including the humor and wit that Satchmo weaves into the lyrics.