New York-born multi-instrumentalist Fats Kaplin is a superb session player who also possesses the uncommon talent of making equally fine solo records. Kaplin, whose credits include turns on recordings by Beck, Paul Burch, Old 97’s and Jack White, has a courtly, mock-decorous fiddle tone he uses to great effect on his 2006 track “The Ghost Waltz,” a tune from that year’s The Fatman Cometh full-length. The Fatman Cometh and its follow-up, 2009’s Fats Kaplin’s World of Wonder Downunder, have plenty of range — the former features a sprightly version of “Colored Aristocracy,” a cakewalk tune from around 1900 that later became a staple in fiddlers’ repertoires, while the latter sports penetrating vocals from his wife, singer Kristi Rose, on the ominous track “Gold.” Kaplin is a master musician who has a knack for the uncanny, as befits an adept of prestidigitation — expect the wizardly picker to perform some equally amazing magic tricks during his act. Seriously, actual magic tricks. EDD HURT
Fats Kaplin and His Gang
