Film & Discussion View the documentary “The History of the Jazz Piano Documentary.” Who is your favorite Jazz Pianist? Why? Discuss the significance of the ticklers. “Ticklers, the term so often used by James P. Johnson to describe himself and his peers (e,g, Willie the Lion Smith, Fats Waller, Earl “Fatha” Hines, Mary Lou Williams, Art Tatum, Jelly Roll Morton, Eubie Blake, etc.) is short for ‘ivory ticklers.’ Among pianists, ‘tickler’ was a word of honor.” John Fell and Terkild Vinding, Stride! Fats, Jimmy, Lion, Lamb, and All the Other Ticklers (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1999), 29.YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIG8D7PWs8Q
