=| IMS j-m-schmidt associates architegts and consulting engineers, vancouver - richmond, bo cs Above is the preliminary sketch of the proposed Rich- mond Centennial Project—a Municipal Cultural Centre with Library in the foreground, Art Centre in the back- round and Municipal Theatre at the far end of the proposed Complex. The entire project will be set ina park-like development, enhanced with reflecting pools and sculpture. Designers are J. M. Schmidt & Associ- ates of Richmond. Ochs helps send aid to Vietnam urrently touring England, Phil Ochs, American pro- test singer, performed in London in a concert, sponsored by Challenge, weekly paper of the Young Communist League, to raise money for medical aid to Vietnam, Ochs was described at the con- cert as the “president of the pro- test song movement.” Other per- formers included a British modern jazz quartet, folk singers Frankie Armstrong, John Faulk- ner and Jennie Short, Actress Vanessa Redgrave made an appeal and TV star Alfie Bass presented a cheque for one hundred ‘pounds ($280) to Mrs. Renee Short, MP, for medical aid to Vietnam, Ochs now has three long play records to his credit, which can be obtained in progressive book- stores and music shops across Canada, Ochs’ “All The News That’s Fit To Sing® is on an Electra label, EKL269, Phil Ochs Genius of Fats Waller on new record FATS WALLER, 1934-35. An RCA Victor record. Fats Waller, piano and vocal with trumpet, clarinet, sax, guitar, trombone, bass and drums. Tricludes many of his best-loved renditions: Somebody Stole My Gal, I Ain’t Got .Nobody, Dinah, Dust Off That Old Pianna, 12th Street Rag, and others. Available upon request at Co-op Books Store, 341 W. Pender St., _ Vancouver. his record features Fats Waller recordings from the years 1934-35 except for three Piano solos recorded in 1927 and 1929, I have an idea that many people _ are unfamiliar with the genius of Fats Waller, Following is a sug- Sestion of his life and stature. Thomas (Fats) Waller was born in Harlem in May, 1904, His father, Edward Waller, was once Pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church, He began playing piano early, influenced in part by the ragtime Piano styles of the day. He also learned the organ and for a time was the organist in his father’s church, Waller received formal train- ing in music as his talents be- Came evident. One of his first professional jobs was organist for silent movies, ' Credit for Waller’s pianotech- Nique must surely go to the late James P, Johnson, one of the ' greatest of jazz pianists. John- Son was the best of a host of Superb Harlem pianists who syn- thesized the then up and coming jazz and blues styles with rag- time. They created a school of piano playing which is highly creative and technical. An example of it would be “Blue Black Bottom” heard on the record. To put it mildly, Fats mastered the style. Once this was done, Waller’s career moved. The ’20’s were active times. for musicians and those among the best hada fol- lowing. Fame first came to Fats as a composer (examples are Honeysuckle Rose, Ain’t Mis- behavin’ and Squeeze Me.) It was not until about 1933 when he began adding vocals to his records that his fame spread, When Waller received inconse- quential lyrics he would make fun of them. This light-hearted attitude coupled with his musical talents make most of his hun- dreds of records a joy to hear. The pace of Waller’s career through the 20’s, 30’s and early 40’s and excess weight resulted in his death on a train near Kansas Ciy in December, 1943. Waller’s fame as a composer, jazz pianist, organist, and enter- tainer has not diminished since those years. This album should explain why. War Toys This is the season once again, Of Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men. Yet underneath the Christmas tree, Beneath the star, high shining, free, The war toys lie in grim array. Here Death is decked with wrappings gay. Premiers, Presidents and lesser men, Will mouth the platitudes, and then Go home, get drunk, and Peace on Earth Will pale, amidst the brighter birth of Napalm dimming out the star,... There in the fields of hellish war Hate, Death and Fear the carols sing Among the corpses mouldering, And children of past Christmases will rest, Clutching their bloody war toys to their breast. —Anne Royle - His genius as an entertainer and pianist are clear but I would hope a future album would show- case his other side—that of the: serious jazz musician and or- ganist. Some commentary ought to be devoted to this side of Fats Waller, First, he was a victim of the widespread notion that fat men are always funny, His long-time friend, Gene Sedric, remarked, “Nobody who was a personal fan of Waller ever forgot his playing, but very few got a chance really to hear the finer things he could do on the piano, “Through his recordings and picture success, the public went for his jive and singing, which to the public really overshadowed his ability as one of the world’s greatest swing pianists, “Many times we would be on the job and Waller playing great piano, modern stuff with tech- nique and fine chords, and people would say, ‘Come on Fats, you’re laying down, give us some jive,’ “This at times would be agreat drag to him; he would look at us and say, ‘You see these people, they won’t let me play anything real fine, want to hear all that jive!’ “But it was the jive instead of fine playing that made him a wealthy man. He was a great comedian, but his only love was music, practice, I personally believe he would have been much happier had his jive not overshadowed his great musical ability.” * * * Second, Waller was a victimof a racist society, As John Ham- mond, now with Columbia Rec- ords, wrote in his program notes for Waller’s Carnegie Hall con- cert in January, 1942, “America does strange things to its great artists, In any other place in the world Thomas Waller might have developed into a famous concert performer, for when he was 11 he was a gifted organist, pianist and composer. “But Waller was not white, and the American concert field He loved to study and makes racial exceptions only for a few singers, Waller’s great talent for the piano has never received the acknowledgment it deserves in this country, It was easier to exploit him asa buffoon and clown than as the great artist he is.” This record of Waller is sup- posed to be a prelude toaseries, I hope that the producer of the album, pianist Mike Lipskin, will display Fats’ talents as an or- ganist, In the Victor vaults exist most of-the commercially re- corded organ works by Waller, For those who cannot wait, some of these gems are avail- able on Victor in England in an album called*Fats atthe Organ? a thoroughly delightful album, —Stark Jeffrey Fats Waller Love and Friendship -Love is like the wild rose-brier, Friendship like the holly tree —— The holly is dark when the rose-brier blooms But which will bloom most constantly? The wild-rose briar is sweet in spring, Its summer blossoms scent the air; Yet wait till winter comes again And who will call the wild-briar fair? Then scorn the silly rose-wreath now And deck thee with the holly’s sheen, That when December blights thy brow He still may leave thy garland green, —Emily Bronte (1818 1848)