Thomas "Fats" Waller (1904-1943) was only 39 when he died, but he remains one of the most beloved and respected figures in the history of jazz. Born in Harlem, he grew up in the turbulent 1920s, learning the ragtime-influenced Harlem "stride" piano style from the great James P. Johnson. Waller was soon one of the style's greatest exponents, dazzling colleagues with his drive and polish at the keyboard. By the 1930s "Fats"" was a household name: broadcasts and records by the hundreds featured his high-spirited vocals and piano, backed by the lively little band he called his "Rhythm." His witty, often outrageous, asides made perennial favorites of such disks as "You're Feet's Too Big," "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie," and the irrepressible "Hold Tight." Perhaps even better known are Waller's own songs - such beloved standards as Ain't Misbehavin', Black and Blue, Keepin' Out of Mischief Now, and the incomparable Honeysuckle Rose. Today as always, Fats Waller and his music are still able to entertain and enchant audiences.
Henry "thins" Francis (he doesn't capitalize the nickname) fell in love with Fats Waller's music while still a teenager. At that time he played trumpet, an instrument he soon gave up as the piano took on importance in his life. In the 1960s he did graduate study in London, where he and Paumanok Music Director Dick Sudhalter often played in bands together. Today Henry "thins" Francis rates as one of the top pianists working in the Waller idiom, with a strength and swing Fats himself would have loved. He lives outside Boston, where his own band, Swing Legacy, is one of the region's top small groups.