October 16th, 2011 - Regret and Surprise
Original Artist: Fats Waller
Location: Vol. 2, Disc 1, Track 21
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Might I first say that I was extremely surprised when I searched on YouTube and there was not a single authentic recording posted of Fats Waller playing this piece himself. It came as a shock to me, and nothing less.
Might I also say that I do have to apologize for two things; one that I have slipped (once again) into irregular blogging, and that I have missed the first anniversary of Jazz Exposure! I originally had it all planned out, that I would do this entry as an homage to my beginnings in Stride Piano, as a celebration of Jazz Exposure's first year coming to a close, and all that but unfortunately school has thwarted me in my ambitions once again.
However, let not the demons of time thwart us in celebrating the first anniversary of Jazz Exposure! I want to personally thank all of my readers out there, that this blog isn't merely a celebration of my personal taste in music, but also of the celebrated jazz legends whose genius transcends the erosion of time. It was about a year's time prior to this day when I suddenly happened upon the idea of blogging about jazz at all. With an idea and a new site to try it on, I decided to grab the bull by the horns and started blogging. It has been hard to blog on a consistent basis, but hopefully this new year will bring about greater opportunities to do so! On with the blog!
For me, Smashing Thirds has always been a nostalgic song. I remember first listening to Fats Waller's recording of Carolina Shout during my ragtime phase, and I loved it to bits. So much, in fact that I downloaded a compilation of Fats Waller's tunes entitled the Joint is Jumpin', one of the tunes of that compilation being Smashing Thirds.
Whenever I listen to Smashing Thirds I immediately think of those wintry bus rides in Hong Kong, where walking down to the bus stop to go from one heat source to another was sheer warmth one moment to frostbitten death another. Truly, it is not a joy to constantly leave sources of heat to walk in bitter cold to another source of heat, and just to experience temperature change in such frequency.
One living memory of those moments and the nostalgia it entails however, is encapsulated in Smashing Thirds. Every time I shuffle into this recording, I immediately think back to those high school days, full to the brim with youth, frivolity, naivete, and whatnot. Truly, Smashing Thirds is a reminder of younger, fonder times.
I have meant to learn Smashing Thirds for a while now, but have never summoned the concentration (nor the handspan, as it were) to set myself to the piece. It sounds simple enough, just as your average Fats Waller solo would. However, the opening left hand part is rather intimidating, as it involves not only the stretch of a tenth, but the compromising stretch of the index finger as well, which if any pianist has the sheet music for it, I encourage them to try it for themselves.
Over time of course, my hands will gradually grow larger, and I may make a fresh attempt at the song. Perhaps I will learn it and put my own spin on a nostalgic piece. Fats Waller never ceases to reward the dedicated listener with memories coupled with his improvisational genius which I can extol for song after song, hour after hour.
So here I present Smashing Thirds, a song that is dear to me, and that I can never stop listening to.
Enjoy, and keep swinging!
