Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller was born on May 21, 1904, thus making today his 122nd birthday. Waller was a singular figure in the music world. Nobody had a career remotely like his–he was a brilliant composer, superb pianist, innovative jazz organist, swinging singer, delightful comic personality and purveyor of infectious joy and artistry. He did more in his short 39 years on earth than most people do in a lifetime three times that long, and he appeared to do it without breaking a sweat. Fats was my first musical hero and influence–as a seven year old I somehow heard a couple of his mid-30s recordings with his septet known as ‘Fats Waller and his Rhythm’ and was hooked forever on jazz. He’s really a perfect introduction to the music, given his exuberance, his unpretentious approachability and his enormous ability to swing seriously hard. I’ll skip his bio–this Wikipedia entry will give you all the particulars–and simply say that the very mention of his name still brings joy to my heart and sometimes even tears to my eyes, so profoundly did he change my life. Above is a wonderful clip of him in a 1935 movie called ‘King Of Burlesque’. Don’t be fooled by the opening credits–it’s not the whole movie, just Fats’ big number which begins at 35 seconds. His performance of ‘I’ve Got My Fingers Crossed’ is covered in multiple ‘dutch’ camera angles, the photography emphasizing the playfulness of his personality. (It’s followed by a very cool tap-dance sequence with Dixie Dugan, who Fats appears to be quite fascinated by). Below I’ve posted a full one hour of audio of his remote radio broadcasts from ‘The Yacht Club’, where he led the house band in 1938. Put it on in the background if you want the room to suddenly take on a spirit of optimism and fun. Or listen thoughtfully and hear his artistry being performed for a very fortunate live audience. Again, a big happy birthday to Fats Waller. Thomas, we hardly knew thee’…