Fats Waller: Honeysuckle Rose

When Roaring '20s Chicago gangsters abducted Fats Waller to sing "Happy Birthday" to Al Capone, they showed more musical refinement than etiquette. Too voluminous to fit in a cake (his emergence would've been a sight!), Waller was a premier entertainer in an era when jazzmen actually strove to ensure people enjoyed themselves. Here, after a chorus of his delightfully decorous stride piano, Fats dispenses a tongue-in-cheek vocal with a wink in his voice broad enough to make the primmest librarian laugh out loud. "Honeysuckle Rose" is a trip to the candy store without the guilt. Confection, goodness knows! Yas, yas.