Hello to all!  I'd like to ask a question on the QRS rolls that
Thomas Fats Waller recorded between 1923-1926.  His rolls are
undoubtedly some one of the "hottest" roll recordings ever made, with
the possible exception of James P. Johnson, Luckey Roberts and James
Blythe's rolls.

Everybody knows that one should carefully consider that piano rolls
are rarely purely "hand-played" recordings, but are likely a
combination of the artist and the editor.  I've heard that in reality
Jean Lawrence Cook edited Waller's recordings made at the marking
recording piano.  This theory does not surprise me because some
"tricks" can be heard on Waller's rolls that are not playable by
a human.

For example, you can hear a suggested tenor line in "Laughin' Cryin'
Blues."  Another aspect that sets me wondering is the big, complete
chords, played in the right hand, especially.  When I listen to the
first of Fats' recordings, I'm surprised that his playing is quite
simple and his right hand favours single-notes melodies.  Is it
possible that Cook replaced Fats' single notes by octaves?  Another
fact which I find strange is that the first Fats' rolls seem to be
less edited than the later rolls he recorded in 1926.

Could any specialist give me some clues about these questions, and
explain to me in which particular circumstances Fats got the piano
roll making job at QRS?

Benjamin Intartaglia
Paris

 [ I've heard he was brought to the QRS studio by James P. Johnson
 [ when he was 19 years old and was still regularly playing the
 [ church organ.  This might explain why many Waller rolls sound
 [ equally good on a player organ; the single-note melody with the
 [ right hand is more typical of jazz organ than piano.  -- Robbie