At last a documentary on Thomas "Fats" Waller, one of the greatest and most colorful and influential musicians of the early 20th Century who lived fast and died young. But wait! "If You Gotta Ask" is not a "documentary" like Joyride Media?s other pieces on past musical heroes as very little about Fats? life actually makes an appearance. What we get is an appreciation of a virtuoso musician and entertainer whose comedic aptitude has obscured the fact that he was also an immense musical talent. A well-qualified somewhat academic cast explores his style and discusses what made him great. They also go to bat for Waller and explain how great he was and how history has criminally overlooked him, how great he was and how history has criminally overlooked him and...well...how great he was and how history has criminally overlooked him.
Larger-than-life Waller lived in a world that no longer exists and was the center of a hip, swinging and jumping New York nightlife that at various times encompassed prohibition, speakeasies, Harlem rent parties, piano duels and overflows with now-legendary characters and a million-and-one magical stories that would be a gift to any documentary. Though the piece only deals with Waller the under-rated virtuoso, it would have made all the difference to have an anecdote or two (the only one provided is weak) to remind us that there is an actual man in there somewhere. Astonishingly, although much is made of Waller as a composer and songwriter, credibility takes a knocking as there is not one solitary mention of Waller?s lyricist Andy Razaf and the Waller/Razaf songwriting partnership that produced so many wonderful songs, five of which are played in the piece. This is all the more amplified given the time spent on exploring three them - "Honeysuckle Rose", "Ain?t Misbehaving" and "Christopher Columbus". This - along with the praise lavished on Waller?s talent as a comedic wordsmith with no mention of whose words they actually were - is ironic given the piece?s emphasis on great-but-overlooked talent. Glaring omission notwithstanding, "If You Gotta Ask" would be a descent, entry-level primer for a portrait on the man behind the music.
The piece sheds light on an instrumental figure in psychedelic rock as well as giving a human face to a cult figure that over time has become shrouded in mystery and enigma. The sound rich piece is very vivid and engaging with testaments from friends and fellow musicians and most importantly of all, Roky Erikson himself. The well-written script and recollections don?t shy away from the subject of drug abuse and psychedelics. Of course, the task of condensing a lifetime into under seven minutes can?t give a complete portrait but in this case, though the piece gives the illusion of an easy listen it is very dense on information and manages to give a good-sized picture of this unique and influential artist.
Comments by Gianluca Tramontana
Comment for "Fats Waller: If You Gotta Ask"
Gianluca Tramontana
Posted on March 23, 2007 at 05:05 PM | Permalink
Review of Fats Waller: If You Gotta Ask
At last a documentary on Thomas "Fats" Waller, one of the greatest and most colorful and influential musicians of the early 20th Century who lived fast and died young. But wait! "If You Gotta Ask" is not a "documentary" like Joyride Media?s other pieces on past musical heroes as very little about Fats? life actually makes an appearance. What we get is an appreciation of a virtuoso musician and entertainer whose comedic aptitude has obscured the fact that he was also an immense musical talent. A well-qualified somewhat academic cast explores his style and discusses what made him great. They also go to bat for Waller and explain how great he was and how history has criminally overlooked him, how great he was and how history has criminally overlooked him and...well...how great he was and how history has criminally overlooked him.
Larger-than-life Waller lived in a world that no longer exists and was the center of a hip, swinging and jumping New York nightlife that at various times encompassed prohibition, speakeasies, Harlem rent parties, piano duels and overflows with now-legendary characters and a million-and-one magical stories that would be a gift to any documentary. Though the piece only deals with Waller the under-rated virtuoso, it would have made all the difference to have an anecdote or two (the only one provided is weak) to remind us that there is an actual man in there somewhere. Astonishingly, although much is made of Waller as a composer and songwriter, credibility takes a knocking as there is not one solitary mention of Waller?s lyricist Andy Razaf and the Waller/Razaf songwriting partnership that produced so many wonderful songs, five of which are played in the piece. This is all the more amplified given the time spent on exploring three them - "Honeysuckle Rose", "Ain?t Misbehaving" and "Christopher Columbus". This - along with the praise lavished on Waller?s talent as a comedic wordsmith with no mention of whose words they actually were - is ironic given the piece?s emphasis on great-but-overlooked talent. Glaring omission notwithstanding, "If You Gotta Ask" would be a descent, entry-level primer for a portrait on the man behind the music.
Comment for "The Psychedelic Legacy of Roky Erickson"
Gianluca Tramontana
Posted on September 12, 2006 at 12:22 PM | Permalink
Review of The Psychedelic Legacy of Roky Erickson
The piece sheds light on an instrumental figure in psychedelic rock as well as giving a human face to a cult figure that over time has become shrouded in mystery and enigma. The sound rich piece is very vivid and engaging with testaments from friends and fellow musicians and most importantly of all, Roky Erikson himself. The well-written script and recollections don?t shy away from the subject of drug abuse and psychedelics. Of course, the task of condensing a lifetime into under seven minutes can?t give a complete portrait but in this case, though the piece gives the illusion of an easy listen it is very dense on information and manages to give a good-sized picture of this unique and influential artist.
Gianluca Tramontana
ResonanceFM 104.4