Hallelujah! V-Disc Session
Here's my transcription of Fats' V-Disc performance of one of his favourite stride showpieces, Vincent Youman's Hallelujah!.
Fats performed this piece several times and it's interesting to compare the differences/similarities between the various versions. All are based on the same core arrangement but the years between the performances show how Fats incorporated new ideas and show his development as a stride pianist. At certain moments, his performances are totally unique and at other times, seemingly spontaneously improvised passages are intricately worked-out arrangements and are played note-for-note in each performance. This doesn't detract from his genius of course. How many Chopin etudes are played verbatim by numerous virtuosi?
I may include these other performances in the future, so stay tuned!
Here is the original recording:
Youtube.com noteman