FATS WALLER - The Joint Is Jumping

Fats Waller was born in New York City in 1904, when he was fifteen he became the house piano player at Harlem's Lincoln Theatre. Waller recorded the song This Joint Is Jumping in 1937 with his backup band Rhythm. The song tells a story about a Harlem tradition of the 1930's called a "rent party". To help pay their rent, people would hire musicians and throw a party at their apartment - everyone would pay a quarter at the door to get in. "Come in, cats, and check your hats. I mean this joint is jumping." The song was featured in the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin' - a musical based on Waller's life.