THE FATS WALLER DANCE PARTY with Jason Moran - piano & Meshell Ndegeocello - vocals/bass
(Published: May 06, 2011)

Aside from its regular nightly sets, Smalls was famous for its after-hours jams and rent parties. Among the many artists Smalls hosted,
Fats Waller was a regular who set the joint jumpin' with late night jams and rent parties. This tribute concert would look back at that legacy,
the stride tradition and music for which Waller was a seminal figure and how it presents itself in the musical innovations of contemporary forms.
Fats Waller is a recognized genius hailing from the stride piano tradition. He is noted for developing a unique piano technique and his prolific compositional history.
This event is conceived as a dance party, a re-envisioning of the importance of moving to this music. In this event, Jason Moran and Meshell Ndegeocello
will re-envision Waller's music to create a dance event that has a current feel but uses Waller's music. They will be joined by a 6-7 piece band.
Moran's playing, composition and arrangement skills will shape the event while Ndegeocello, a master at creating an intimate and enticing
connection to the audience through her bass playing and vocalizing, will take Waller's words and rework them to seem natural for today and get people to dance.

other featured artists include

Mark Kelley - bass, Charles Haynes - drums, Lisa Harris - vocals,
Leron Thomas - trumpet, Corey King - trombone

Friday-Saturday, May 13 and 14, 2011
Performances at 9:00 pm and 11:00 pm
Harlem Stage Gatehouse
150 Convent Avenue at West 135th Street, New York City
Tickets: $10
For tickets, visit www.harlemstage.org, or call the Harlem Stage box office at 212-281-9240, ext. 19 or 20.

Co-presented by Harlem Stage Harlem Stride, with the Harlem Jazz Shrines, in partnership with the Center for Jazz Studies at
Columbia University and the Columbia/Harlem Jazz Project, with support from the Office of the President, Columbia University

More Information: http://www.harlemstage.org