ALL RISE: A Joyful Elegy For Fats Waller

*All Rise*—Jason Moran’s nod to Fats Waller (1904-1943)—opens with “Put Your Hands on It,” a brief intro that evokes the Houston hip-hop subgenre chopped and screwed. The snippet quickly lets you know that *All Rise* is a contemporary and personal take on the Harlem Stride master’s oeuvre. (Moran is from Houston.) “Ain’t Misbehavin’” gets a jazzy R&B reading that finds Meshell Ndegeocello’s subtle and soulful vocals backed by Moran’s Fender Rhodes and punchy horns. (Ndegeocello and Don Was coproduced the album.) Bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits, members of Moran’s trio Bandwagon, appear on “Lulu’s Back in Town” and “Sheik of Araby/I Found a New Baby,” songs that stutter and swing as they look both forward and back. Moran turns in a solo version of “Handful of Keys” that draws from Waller but goes its own way, even including sound effects at one point. Vocalist Lisa E. Harris steps to the fore on one of the album’s highlights, “Honeysuckle Rose,” where her voice is shaded by Leron Thomas’s muted trumpet.

Yeah, All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller is a tribute to the great stride pianist, but in Jason Moran's hands, it's not what one would expect.

The inspired Texas pianist and gripping star vocalist deliver an emotional, insightful tribute, writes <strong>John Fordham</strong>

A brilliant recasting of the Harlem stride master's music. Music review by Peter Quinn