Playing Stride in the 20’s fashion continues to be a "show".
A few followers have made it because of their patient
listening, imitating and relentless practice. The very essence of this music is passed on to the initiated by ear
and eye only. With
time and practice, the ear makes it possible for the notes to become more
clearly distinguishable. All that is left
to do, in a manner of speaking, is to play these notes and measures over and
over again hundreds of times, until there is a natural resemblance and a fixed
quasi-unchanging tempo.
The Mule Walk (J.P.Johnson) par Louis Mazetier
On the other hand, seeing "Stride" is much more difficult because the smoky and shady nightclubs where any self-respecting "Stride" pianist
would perform are few and far between. A must among others in good old France would be
Louis MAZETIER,
who, along with his orchestra the "Paris Washboard", could be cited as one who
perpetuates this style in its purest tradition,
Elsewhere in the world, Dick HYMAN, Mike LIPSKIN,
Neuville DICKIES, Bernd LHOTZKY, Stephanie TRICK, Paul ASARO, and Judy CARMICHAEL should also be
mentioned. All of these talented pianists contribute to the eternal youthfulness of this almost
century old music.
Cédric GRANELLE's stride version of RACHMANINOV Concerto n°2
Sweet
Savannah Sue (Brooks, Waller, Razaf) par Dick Hyman
And there are others. Be they dabblers or professionals, young or not so young, this style has its following, and
numerous connoisseurs quickly crowd up to a piano playing the peaceful beat of a bit of Stride.
Success is only conceivable if, in addition to a good ear, one has also developed a skilled
technique. The role of the left hand plays a determining factor; this, along
with the importance of having a hand stretch which easily allows playing the "tenth"
so abundantly used by the "Masters". (Georges Shearing once said that shaking hands with Fats gave one the impression of "grabbing
a bunch of bananas). Players in the prime of their youth who may
have explored the Hanon method, Chopin waltzes
and Scott Joplin, would undoubtedly have a slight advantage
when tackling this particular
style. Nevertheless,
this is not a sine qua non
condition
because the essential still
remains the motivation and “the soul”.
Learning by ear and imitating has its
limits at times. In this case, sheet music can be of great help. Much of it
dealing with “Stride” piano or the music supposedly written by Fats Waller has
only been published in recent years. This provides,
of course, one solution. However,most have been either arranged in one way or another, or simplified and thus are
not authentic transcriptions.
Here are songbooks that genuinely merit being cited here because of the richness
of their content, and the remarkable work of transcription (note by note)
provided by their authors.
A good workout is garanteed
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Fats Waller piano solos Transcriptions de Paul Marcorelles. |
Harlem stride piano solos transctiptions de Ricardo Scivales (Ecay Music) |
Thomas Fats Waller The great solos transcriptions de Paul Posnak (Hall Leonard) |
Another
precious source coming out of England is the site of the late John Farrell on which you can find piano
rolls, rare transcriptions and midi files. The visit is more than worthwhile.
All of this sheet music provides a closer walk with the Stride style of the Great Masters’. The difficulty of this music says a great deal about the pianistic
qualities of these musicians. It will never favour a perfect imitation of our idols, but then there is
not much interest in this, anyhow. If this were the case, one might just as well
listen to the original. In any event, playing with one’s own particular
sensitivity and style is always more preferable than any pale imitation.
It
should never be forgotten that this music was largely improvised for the most
part, and should, therefore, conserve its spontaneous, inventive, and even
audacious character as much as possible.
Thank you for visiting these pages.
références :
Since adolescence, Fats has been my old friend and (more than) forty years
later, I am still an admirer of his style
What can I say about his eternal
good humour which instantaneously lowers blood pressure and sweeps the
stress away ? (Yes, Yes, a doctor could confirm !)
I started to learn the piano quite early and I was lucky to play in
many
bands while continuing my job.
To share this music is a great pleasure for me. Besides, this site is the
opportunity of warm exchanges with devotees all around the world ;
Many thanks for your kind messages. Best Wishes
Jean-Carl Simonetti
(jcs.sim(at)orange.fr)
A short tribute available on 
E Flat Blues
Alligator Crawl
Clothes Line Ballet
Honeysuckle rose
Ain't Misbehavin, the story of Fats Waller by Ed Kirkeby - Da capo press,
NY
Fats Waller, Maurice Waller and Antony Calabrese - Schimmer books NY
Fats Waller, Alyn Shipton - Omnibus Press, London
Crédit photos : The Frank Driggs collection, M. Lipskin, S. Grossman, D.Schiedt
english version : Thanks to Jerry Zucker for his precious help
copyright 2000 / 2021 JCS