Although not a jazz musician himself, jazz musicians dug Fred Astaire and the feeling was mutual. His instruments were his feet and his voice … and his performances encompassed every type of music, from Vivaldi to Fats Waller. During his seven decades as dancer, actor, singer, musician, and choreographer, Fred was everything people wanted to be: smooth, suave, dapper, debonair, intelligent, witty, and wise. He worked with jazz bands whenever he could; with this mutual love affair in mind, plus his limitless talent and creativity, we felt Fred Astaire had to be included among the greats at Mark of Jazz.
For openers, here he is in 1940 with Eleanor Powell, one of his many dance partners during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
From the 1951 movie “Royal Wedding” here is Astaire dancing with a hat rack! It’s amazing how this great dancer can take the simplest prop and do something magical with it. Well before that, in 1937, he dazzled movie goers with his drum scene in “A Damsel in Distress.”
Finally, one of the more fun-loving routines called Too Hot To Handle … with his most frequent dance partner, Ginger Rogers. This is Fred and Ginger flirting a bit as they grace the stage in the 1935 film “Roberta.”
