Fats Waller was sometimes very unhappy about his music. You see, he was appreciated for his showmanship ability and for that amount of piano that he played on his records, but very few of Waller's record fans knew how much more he could play than what he usually did on records. He didn't try to prove anything by his singing. It was a matter of fun with him. But I deeply believe that in his later years, his novelty singing and his showmanship in general overshadowed his playing… Yes, he wanted to do great things on organ and piano--which he could do. There were many times when we played engagements during which he felt like himself and wanted to play great. But when he played as musically as he could, many people in the audience would think that he way lying down and they'd yell, "Come on Fats!" He'd take a swig of gin or something and say resignedly, "Aw right then, here it is." << less