When Fats Waller Met Al Capone

Mobster Al Capone was non a cautious man. From his Chicago headquarters, he condemned the wild speculation on Wall Street. It sec a racket, he said, Those stock marketplace position guys are crooked.

—The Crash of 1929 Program Transcript, PBS

From JAQUO:
Fats should bring seen it coming. But playing at the Sherman House Hotel, inwards the swinging pump of Chicago’s loop, he must bring felt security from the mob.

As the vocal goes, the articulation was jumpin’. Fats was entirely 21 years old inwards ’26 but he was already a large draw. He’d been making records for iv years in addition to was close to instruct into his begin peak period.

His solo footstep pianoforte in addition to pipage organ playing may bring found him fans alongside tape buyers but what got them flocking to the Sherman was his alive schtick. He was polished, original, in addition to wickedly satirical – in addition to the crowds loved him for it. He to a greater extent than oftentimes than non had a bottle of Old Grand Dad Bourbon yesteryear his pianoforte in addition to he’d play all black if they’d allow him.

The Sherman House hotel was reputedly the biggest hotel westward of New York City. It boasted 1600 invitee rooms, a banquet hall with seating to spot 2500, in addition to fabulous new marble anteroom – a firm favorite of  celebrities, tourists, in addition to members of high society.

The Sherman was too i of the swell jazz venues inwards the windy city. The hotel’s College Inn eating theatre established itself every bit i of the city’s foremost jazz venues nether the administration of bandleader Isham Jones. Jones broke with the old tradition of violin-based hotel functioning , replacing his orchestra’s waltz-oriented repertoire with new, jazz-inspired tunes. Duke Ellington would later on tape a alive radio broadcast from the venue.

Meanwhile Al Capone was running his bootlegging empire from a pocket-sized town westward of the metropolis called Cicero. Capone was non the first, or fifty-fifty the most powerful, organized criminal offence boss inwards Chicago, but he’d arrived inwards town but every bit lucrative opportunities arrived. The organisation was shortly operating breweries, distilleries, and liquor distribution, all developed yesteryear his boss John Torrio, an associate from his old Brooklyn gang. Capone was his driver, bartender in addition to enforcer in addition to real shortly became Torrio’s primary assistant. When Torrio fled Chicago inwards 1925 Capone became the leading partner inwards the expanding organization.

Although based out west, Capone in addition to the Sherman House Hotel were no strangers. It was at the newly expanded Sherman House inwards ’26 that “Big” Bill Thompson, old mayor of Chicago, acted every bit a mediator inwards a ‘peace conference’ betwixt Al Capone in addition to Bugs Moran.

So how did Fats cross paths with Scarface?

The storey goes that some of Capone’s boys were out on the town,  and had already caused a ruckus yesteryear waving a machine gun around, causing total pandemonium. Waller ended upwards inwards the men’s room and, petrified, had refused to come upwards out until police arrived.

Later that night, when Fats left the hotel he found himself existence bundled into a waiting limousine at gunpoint yesteryear iv white men. The limo sped westward to Cicero and the Hawthorn Inn. The men bundled him out of the car,and shoved a terrified Fats into the hotel lounge, where a big party was inwards progress.
It turned out to hold upwards a political party thrown for Al Capone’s birthday, in addition to Fats Waller was a acquaint to the boss from the boys. He was ordered to the pianoforte in addition to told to play.  Capone in addition to his men showed their appreciation yesteryear filling his pockets with hundred dollar bills in addition to plying him with champagne.

Once over the stupor of his forced limo ride he had himself a fine time. Capone had treated him similar a king. Waller showed upwards dorsum at his lodgings hung over iii days later, his pockets stuffed with thousands of dollars in addition to with a newfound a sense of savor for vintage champagne....MORE

The JAQUO slice too has a moving-picture present of Mr. Waller which I intend is a all the same from "Stormy Weather" (1943):

The vocal perks upwards at some the 1:25 mark.