Every so often I hesitate posting a Soundie that has seen a great deal of circulation. This certainly describes Fats Waller’s Honeysuckle Rose, but the three-minute performance is so engaging, a repeat viewing is certainly called for.
In 1941, Fats Waller was one of the most popular entertainers and recording artists in American jazz. In addition, many of his compositions had become standards, although we did not call them that at the time. Perhaps one of the most important was “Honeysuckle Rose.” It was recorded frequently and its chord changes were used for dozens of contrafacts. Waller’s series of four Soundies started off in the usual manner. After contracts have been signed, tunes determined, dates established, the combo assembled on September 26, 1941 at RCA Studios to record four tunes. (A contract showing the members of the group is attached with the Soundie.)
On September 29 and 30th, the group gathered at Eastern Service Studios, the old Paramount facility in Astoria, to film to playback. It is here that things got a little bit dicey. A good friend of mine, Soundies director John Primi, was at the studio that day. Director Warren Murray was in charge of the Waller series and Primi was there preparing for a photo shoot of his own. Primi recalled, “Waller was most cooperative and easy to work with. He brought a large glass jug of gin to the session, and it was shared freely among cast and crew.” By the end of the shoot everyone was feeling very happy. It is only speculation, of course, but could the jovial feeling among everyone be the cause of the sync going completely haywire at the end of the film? One never knows, do one.
Fats Waller’s Soundies are among the finest in the entire output of jukebox shorts, although like many they are somewhat of lost opportunities. While Waller was a superior vocalist and entertainer, it is for his stride piano playing that he is best known. Because of the nature of the Soundies in general, including the need to focus on the visual interpretation of the song, his antics take precedence over his piano playing.
A special part of the performance is the guitar solo by Al Casey. Casey was one of the finest of early single-note improvisers, influenced by Charlie Christian, but also a musician with a very personal sound and voice. For this solo here, Casey freely mixes single-note lines with a chordal approach to the solo. Gene Cedric has eight bars to himself on tenor sax, showing what a fine improvisor he is.
OK, enough analysis. Time to move on to a viewing of one of the best of all Soundies, Honeysuckle Rose by Fats Waller.