He composed, played piano and organ, sang, clowned — and had beautiful handwriting. The eBay link is here — should anyone want this for their own:
But calligraphy was the least of his talents:
That record — slightly less than three minutes — is an encapsulation of his ebullient spirit: solo piano, ensemble piano, rollicking singing, and just good fun. Fats is still with us, and heaven knows we need him.
May your happiness increase!
Even if your name isn’t Bob, I think you can safely enjoy this rare artifact:
Posted in Irreplaceable, Jazz Titans, Pay Attention!, The Real Thing, The Things We Love
Tagged Bob, Jazz Lives, Lee Wiley, Michael Steinman, rare autograph, West of the Moon
There’s a proliferation of rare jazz autographs for sale on US eBay — oddly enough, most of them of artists whose names begin with the letter H. Does this suggest some larger arrangement in the stars, or is “mrbebop” (the source of most of these gems) simply working through his collection in some logical alphabetical order?
The one that will perhaps attract the most attention (and has the most substantial price tag) is Billie’s:
Here’s Bob Haggart’s autograph on a late-Thirties photograph of him with Ray Bauduc:
And the most exalted Edmond Hall:
A rarity — trombonist Bill Harris:
Finally, the long-lived and deep-rooted Art Hodes:
I wonder what marvels will come next . . . . !
