This terrific showstopper comes from the musical revue Ain't Misbehavin’,
A Handful of Keys is a composition in the stride piano style by Fats Waller and originally published by Chappel & Co. The piece has been the subject of a large number of interpretations, mostly for piano solo, but sometimes also with lyrics. This terrific showstopper comes from the musical revue Ain't Misbehavin’, co-written by Waller, Harry Brooks, Andy Razaf and others. This musical is a tribute to the black musicians of the 1920s and 1930s who were part of the Harlem Renaissance, an era of growing creativity, cultural awareness and ethnic pride. It was a time when Manhattan nightclubs like the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom were the playgrounds of high society and were filled with piano players banging out the newest tunes in a swing style. The revue presented an evening of rowdy, raunchy, and humorous songs that encapsulated the various moods of the era and reflected a view of life as a journey meant for pleasure and play.
Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 1904 – December 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid the groundwork for modern jazz piano. His best-known compositions, "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Honeysuckle Rose", were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1984 and 1999. Waller was the youngest of 11 children born to Adeline Locket Waller, a musician, and the Reverend Edward Martin Waller in New York City. He started playing the piano when he was six and graduated to playing the organ at his father's church. His mother taught him in his youth and he later attended private music lessons, paying for them by working in a local grocery store. Waller became one of the most popular performers of his era, finding critical and commercial success both in the USA and Europe. He was also a prolific songwriter, and many songs he wrote are still popular.
