Low Down Papa (1923)

About this title: When young Thomas Waller began to develop himself as a professional pianist under the tutelage of the great James P. Johnson, he followed in his mentor's footsteps by cutting both phonograph records and player piano rolls. While the sound recordings are generally recognized as precious relics of early jazz, any intelligent assessment of Waller's early work must also take into account those tightly wound scrolls of perforated paper. Each piano roll was created over a lengthy span of time, first by the pianist whose every note was marked onto a roll by a specially chalked recording mechanism, ... read more

Tracks:

1. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby (And My Baby's Crazy 'Bout Me) [Hill/Waller]
2. Wild Cat Blues [Waller/Williams]
3. Jail House Blues [Smith/Williams]
4. Do It Mr. So-And-So [Barger/Johnson]
5. Don't Try to Take My Loving Man Away [Hammed]
6. Your Time Now [Williams]
7. Papa Better Watch Your Step [Cooper/Wells]
8. Haitian Blues [Miles/Williams]
9. Mama's Got the Blues [Martin/Williams]
10. Midnight Blues [Thompson/Williams]
11. Last Go Round Blues [Cox]
12. Cryin' for My Used to Be [Thompson]
13. Low Down Papa [Williams]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.