Art Tatum

[mr jazz]

I just picked up complete Group masterpieces so I'd thought I would try to generate some discussion about this legend. How does he rate with all other pianists? If he's not the best, who is? Any opinions on this box set?

[Dan Gould]

Well, it was said (was it by Jelly Roll or Fats Waller?) when he entered a club, "God is in the house." But I hesitate to mention this because presumably the Christian Fascist may see this and I will be accused of anti-Christian bigotry for asserting that a mere mortal piano player might in any way qualify as "God".

But Tatum came closest, IMO.

[jazzbo]

It was Fats. . . Jelly Roll would have said "I invented jazz and this guy is ripping me off!"

Tatum. . . well a force on the piano that is likely to not be bested. I haven't explored a lot of his work, I've explored some, Decca, Capitol, the Pablo groups, the Mintons recordings, the Verve party recordings, and I'm still recovering from the assault to the senses taht the exploration has unleashed! There is so much there. I think I need to tackle the Pablo solo material next. . . .

Edited May 20, 2003 by jazzbo

[John Tapscott]

Well, it was said (was it by Jelly Roll or Fats Waller?) when he entered a club, "God is in the house."  But I hesitate to mention this because presumably the Christian Fascist may see this and I will be accused of anti-Christian bigotry for asserting that a mere mortal piano player might in any way qualify as "God".

But Tatum came closest, IMO.

Dan, I think it's a little unfair to speak of the "Christian Fascist" in this regard, since people of other faiths believe in God as well, and some of them may be as offended by the use of the word "God" in this way. I am a Christian believer, and while I would not use "God" in a sentence as Waller did, I think most of us know this is a figure of speech, and take it that way. I simply marvel and am grateful that the Creator gave Tatum such talent.

In terms of Tatum's playing, he may well be the greatest solo piano jazz piano player ever (and certainly among the top three). But I would not rank him nearly as high on the list of ensemble or group pianists.

[Dan Gould]

Sorry, John, but the current bruhaha has the little dweeb on my mind, so the combination of almost remembering Waller's line and his mention of God made me think he would find it objectionable, since he finds "anti-christian bigotry" to run rampant on this BB.

[catesta]

Tatum was might impressive.

[JSngry]

...I'm still recovering from the assault to the senses taht the exploration has unleashed!  There is so much there.

Yeah, I think that's a good way to feel it, Lon. Not at all unlike Cecil Taylor, Tatum's music delivers so much information so rapidly, and so densely, that the listener, even the musically astute one who can follow the cat without TOO much difficulty, is more often than not stunned by the sheer magnitude, force, and power of the work. Repeated, careful listenings are a delight, as the shock wears off and the beauty of the details begin to reveal themselves, but Tatum is not a player for those who like their music to be warm and fuzzy - there is little overt emotionalism in his music. But that's OK by me, because as Lennie Tristano liked to point out, there is a difference between "emotion" and "feeling", and there is PLENTY of the latter in Tatum's playing, if one is willing to be receptive to it, eventually.

To me, Tatum is not necessarily a "jazz pianist" as much as he is a world unto himself. That world is based in jazz, and usually exists IN jazz, but, really, the guy had his own perception of music that was at once in and apart from the jazz of his (or any other) time. Like I said over in the Masssey Hall thread, the whole notion of music that is at once full of feeling AND full of virtuosity of the absolute highest level is intimidating to many, and understandably so. It's discomfiting to realize that some people, a very, VERY, select few, can indeed have TOTAL command over their instruments, their intellect, and their feelings all at once. Such people may indeed be "freaks" and/or "geniuses" but looking for a way to somehow lessen the scope of their accomplishments is dishonest to my mind - what they do speaks for itself, and the fact that we (most all of us) fall short really ain't THAT big a deal unless we pretend that being fine just as we are ultimately makes our thing the same thing as what those guys do. It doesn't, and it isn't.

The Tatum Pablo solo recordings are a VERY good listen, but they are NOT to be rushed through. I had a roommate in college who bought the LP set, and we dove right in. Neither of us could handle more than a side at a time, though, and sometimes not even that. It wan't just sensory overload, it was intellectual overload as well - the is just SO much to digest in one track, never mind an entire LP side, and FORGET about listenng to the whole set straight through, or as close to it as time allows!

But think about this - the pyrotechnical technique, the harmonic detours that defy logic yet somehow make complete sense in the end, the voicings that should require more than two hands, in short, all of the things that freak us out about Tatum, these things were NOT "dazzling" to HIM - they were perfectly normal. It was how he heard music, simple as that. Sure, he had his stock runs and his "show" pieces, but playing those things must have been "role playing" to him, the way to fulfill the expectation that he be an "entertainer" of SOME kind ("Hurry Hurry Hurry, Step right Up - Come See The Blind Negro Piano Virtuoso Play Faster Than Anybody In The World!"). When the guy just sat down and played, as he does on the 20TH CENTURY PIANO GENIUS album and on a lot of the Pablo solo things, it was all music for the sake of music, and, damn, what music it was. People who are able to see/hear/feel/whatever that much detail as a matter of course, and are able to express it fully and unhindered, are different than you and I. They are indeed "geniuses", and if we can never reach their heights, we would be fools to ignore what they show us, for it is most assuredly real, and as such, we should all take heed and try to "get the point".

"The Truth" ain't always easy, but it IS always true, and like it's written somewhere, "the truth shall make you free". Can't speak for anybody else, but I WANT to be free, and I ain't afraid to work at it, even if I never get "all" of it!

Edited May 20, 2003 by JSngry

[John Tapscott]

I'm still recovering from the assault to the senses taht the exploration has unleashed!  There is so much there.  I think I need to tackle the Pablo solo material next. . . .

Lon, I know what you mean. It can be overwhelming. But Tatum's music is not forbidding to the newer (or even the veteran) jazz listener, as Taylor's often is. I always look forward to playing some Tatum, (a few tracks at a time as Jim suggests), because I find it so enjoyable. I probably get about 1% of it, but what I do get often makes me laugh and smile. I am astounded by the technique, but I also revel in the sheer joy of Tatum's music. I think it has something to do with the way he used harmony.

[pryan]

Jim, PM'd you re: your above post.

[danasgoodstuff]

OK, who's got the Book of Kells image from the old board? I miss it--put it up as wall paper on the shared computer at work and it stayed up forever. I thought the comparison was quite apt, if just a little arcane...

[EKE BBB]

Jim has said it all and said it right, as usual!

I have to take Tatum in a little dose, too. But after many listenings you discover a wonderful world, not only of technique, but of MUSIC (with capital letters)

The Pablo solo and group sets, the 20th century piano genius, the Capitol sessions....

I must explore his earlier works. Any recommendations?

[Alexander Hawkins]

I would say - although there are others who would know better than me - to pick up the Chronological Classics issues of his stuff. I think there are about 4-5 which will take you through to 1949 or so (his first recording being, I think, in 1932), and from there, the Pablo boxes and a couple of other things should round you out!

I'm sure I've left something obvious out - I don't know if the Capitol sessions are out on the Classics yet? - so anyone feel free to correct me!

[connoisseur series500]

Count me as another who suffered from sensory overload when listening to Art Tatum. I bought one of the Piano Genius cds and instantly felt overwhelmed as he ran his fingers across the keys in these endless runs.

On a more personal note: Art Tatum came from Toledo, Ohio, where I live. His house was on City Park Drive, I believe, which is now a pretty bad part of town. Cannot remember if the house has been preserved in any way. I think I did hear something about it being marked and preserved, but I don't know for sure.

Most Toledoans would have no idea who Art Tatum was. It's a shame. The city does try to remind folks about Art Tatum from time to time, but in the end they all focus on Eminem or whoever. That's life.

[Christiern]

Perhaps it should have been...

"Holy Toledo! God is in the house!"

[EKE BBB]

These days I´m in a Tatum trip! So just a few more thoughts on him... I re-started this older thread because it was more focused on "general comments" than the one king ubu started (basically discographical).

-I´ve ocassionally read some criticism regarding he DID NOT actually create any school or have a clear follower... maybe Oscar Peterson? Bud Powell and Bill Evans have been nominated as two of the most influential piano players, with two separate (but melted) schools. Maybe Jazz History has looked down on Tatum because he remains unsurpassed... What do you think?

Talking about "piano schools", I remember reading Joachim Berendt´s "Jazz". He talks about "orchestra-like" piano playing (Tatum) and "trumpet-like" piano playing (Powell).

-Another criticism on him is the fact that he didn´t "interact" with other jazz musicians (as P.D. stated on a recent AAJ thread)

Yesterday I listened (twice) the Tatum-Benny Carter (with L. Bellson on drums) Masterpiece... and I got the impression that there were two soloists... two wonderful and superb soloists... but not an ensemble!

Especially in some songs (now I don´t remember exactly which ones... guess one of the blues, "´s wonderful" and a few more) there are passages when you get the impression that they´re soloing at the same time, instead of Tatum giving harmonic (or rhythmic) support to Carter´s solo.

This doesn´t mean I don´t like that disc. What a pure and marvellous sound Benny gets from his horn... and what a wonderful pianist Tatum was... sometimes at a high speed you´re (I´m) unable to follow what on hell he´s playing!

-Completing Dan Gould´s quote:

Tatum, when asked, usually cited Fats Waller as his main influence:

-"Fats, man. That´s where I come from. And quite a place to come from"

And Waller, in turn, idolized Tatum. It happened once that Fats was playing in a club and Tatum entered. After seeing him, Fats stopped the music and announced:

-"Ladies and gentleman, I play piano, but God is in the house tonight!"

Edited October 8, 2003 by EKE BBB

[EKE BBB]

Portrait of Art Tatum, Vogue Room, N.Y.

[EKE BBB]

Portrait of Art Tatum, Rochester, ca. May 1946]

[EKE BBB]

Portrait of Art Tatum and Phil Moore, Downbeat, N.Y.

[king ubu]

Well, among the 20 CDs I took with me for my two weeks vacation (which had to end, alas, yesterday), were the Tatum solo, group (both recently acquired via 2001 and unlistened till then), the Capitol and the 20th century piano genius sets.Sounds like an overdose, and, indeed, I was overwhelmed more than once.

I started with the Capitol sides, then went on to the Verve stuff, then the solos, and finally the group masterpieces.

The Solo Masterpieces is certainly one of the very most impressing sets I ever heard! Yes, you got to take it in small doses, but after having heard the Capitol and Verve stuff, I was familiar with quite a few tunes (& their arrangements), which made it much easier for me to listen to those 7 discs of piano genius.

I have had similar feelings about some (actually about all) of the Group Masterpieces sessions as EKE. Tatum needs no drummer (hardly ever the drummers start a tune, or establish a tempo - Tatum usually handles this on his own, the others - the drummer being among them - enter later on), neither does he need a bass player (and, sorry, but Red Callender is just a little bit too stiff, cuts his notes short without letting them really sound. He certainly was no bad player, but he's just not one of my favorites). The drummers are great, and do a good job, too (nice to hear Bellson and Rich for once not showing their pyro-technical skills), but, hell, Tatum could do all this himself! Then regarding the horns (and Barney Kessel), it does quite often seem like they do just sort of "play along", yet there are so many delightful and beautiful tunes in that collection (my favorites would probably be the Webster sides, my least preferred the Edison/Kessel date, but they're all very close and all at least good, and all include stunning Tatum solos, of course...).

I find the liner notes to be quite helpful regarding the problem of interaction (or rather of the difficulty of it) with Tatum, by the way.

ubu

[EKE BBB]

Well, among the 20 CDs I took with me for my two weeks vacation (which had to end, alas, yesterday), were the Tatum solo, group (both recently acquired via 2001 and unlistened till then), the Capitol and the 20th century piano genius sets.Sounds like an overdose, and, indeed, I was overwhelmed more than once.

I started with the Capitol sides, then went on to the Verve stuff, then the solos, and finally the group masterpieces.

The Solo Masterpieces is certainly one of the very most impressing sets I ever heard! Yes, you got to take it in small doses, but after having heard the Capitol and Verve stuff, I was familiar with quite a few tunes (& their arrangements), which made it much easier for me to listen to those 7 discs of piano genius.

I have had similar feelings about some (actually about all) of the Group Masterpieces sessions as EKE. Tatum needs no drummer (hardly ever the drummers start a tune, or establish a tempo - Tatum usually handles this on his own, the others - the drummer being among them - enter later on), neither does he need a bass player (and, sorry, but Red Callender is just a little bit too stiff, cuts his notes short without letting them really sound. He certainly was no bad player, but he's just not one of my favorites). The drummers are great, and do a good job, too (nice to hear Bellson and Rich for once not showing their pyro-technical skills), but, hell, Tatum could do all this himself! Then regarding the horns (and Barney Kessel), it does quite often seem like they do just sort of "play along", yet there are so many delightful and beautiful tunes in that collection (my favorites would probably be the Webster sides, my least preferred the Edison/Kessel date, but they're all very close and all at least good, and all include stunning Tatum solos, of course...).

I find the liner notes to be quite helpful regarding the problem of interaction (or rather of the difficulty of it) with Tatum, by the way.

ubu

I do like the Eldridge sides! Roy looks like he´s containing himself: playing calmly, softer than I´d ever heard him! It´s a superb disc, maybe the second one in my list, after the Webster!

The Webster sides are simply wonderful. Ben concentrated on his tone, blowing a few notes, leaving Tatum to do the pyrotechniques... (simply I can´t fix my ears on the rhythm section...)

Agree with ubu regarding the Edison/Kessel date... though Sweets is a favorite of mine!

BTW: what a hazardous trip yours has been, ubu! Two weeks almost concentrated on Tatum... Danger of serious overdose!

[king ubu]

I do like the Eldridge sides! Roy looks like he´s containing himself: playing calmly, softer than I´d ever heard him! It´s a superb disc, maybe the second one in my list, after the Webster!

The Webster sides are simply wonderful. Ben concentrated on his tone, blowing a few notes, leaving Tatum to do the pyrotechniques... (simply I can´t fix my ears on the rhythm section...)

Agree with ubu regarding the Edison/Kessel date... though Sweets is a favorite of mine!

BTW: what a hazardous trip yours has been, ubu! Two weeks almost concentrated on Tatum... Danger of serious overdose!

Oh, no worry, I had some Hal Russell with me to relax

And some Dave Holland (the new one), Mingus' Revenge, some hot jazz on Blue Note stuff...

Sweets is a favorite of mine, too, but somehow, that date just does not bring results as good as the others - maybe the two previously unreleased takes of "What Is This Thing Called Love" are my favorites.

Who does the singing on the long opening track by the way?

The DeFranco sides are very good, too. Have to listen again to the Eldridge stuff. Only been through it once.

And Webster's pyrothechnics, they're right there: no one else could ever get that sound!

ubu

[clandy44]

The greatest jazz piano player who ever lived, to me. Speed isn't everything, but he reportedly was playing a thousand notes per minute in his prime. Of course, Erroll Garner wins plaudits if only because he couldn't read a note and never took a piano lesson! True genius.

[EKE BBB]

The following article on Art Tatum appeared on December 27, 1999 in The Toledo Blade as part of the newspaper’s millennium series, which included articles on influential Toledoans during the century.

Time-tested Tatum

Toledo jazz pianist was the best there ever was

By David Yonke - Blade Pop Music Writer

"Art Tatum lived only 47 years, but his music will live forever and, according to many musicians and scholars, will never be equaled.

“Any serious jazz pianist knows that Art Tatum is, and always will be, the greatest of all time. He will never be eclipsed,” said Benny Green, a New York-based pianist who records for the Blue Note label.

“When you talk about the art of jazz piano,” said Jimmy Amadie, a pianist and educator from Philadelphia, “Art Tatum stands alone. His playing today would have been considered just as phenomenal as it was back then and, the thing is, a thousand years from now it will be just as phenomenal.”

“He was the greatest soloist in jazz history, regardless of instrument,” Leonard Feather, the esteemed jazz critic, wrote in the liner notes of Tatum’s, “Piano Starts Here” CD.

His admirers included George Gershwin, Vladimir Horowitz, Artur Rubinstein and virtually every jazz artist, including saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker, who once remarked: “I wish I could play like Tatum’s right hand!”

Born Oct. 13, 1909, in a yellow, two-story frame house on Mill Street in South Toledo, near Dorr Street and City Park, he was all but blind from birth, with limited vision in his right eye only.

His father, Arthur Tatum, Sr., was a guitarist and an elder at Grace Presbyterian Church, where his mother played piano.

He lost most of his sight due to illness at age 3, but soon after began picking out tunes on the piano. He learned to read music in Braille and would entertain fellow pupils during recess at the Jefferson School.

His piano teacher, Overton G. Rainey, recognized the youngster’s prodigious talent and tried to steer him into a career in classical music.

Tatum, however, was more fascinated by the adventurous jazz piano of Fats Waller and James P. Johnson. And, as he knew all too well, in those days the prospects for African-American pianists in classical music were not exactly bountiful.

Tatum played piano in Speed Web’s dance band and led his

own group in concert at local venues such as Chateau La France and Chicken Charlie’s.

At 17, he was featured playing interludes on WSPD radio, which were so popular the station gave him his own 15-minute program.

Tatum moved to New York City in 1931, originally hired as an accompanist by singer Adelaide Hall. But he soon became a phenomenon on 52nd Street, which was lined with clubs featuring the jazz world’s greatest artists.

“Tatum’s appearance on the jazz scene in the early ’30s upset all the standards for jazz pianists,” Feather, the jazz critic, once recalled. “His fantastic technique and original harmonic variations placed him incomparably far ahead of earlier artists.”

Tatum made his mark immediately in a legendary “cutting contest,” where musicians try to outplay each other, in Harlem by playing a version of “Tiger Rag” that knocked Willie “The Lion” Smith and two of Tatum’s idols, Waller and Johnson, off the throne.

One night Tatum walked into the Yacht Club on West 52nd Street while Waller was performing. After the song, Waller announced: “I just play the piano, but God is in the house tonight.”

Not only did Tatum have the ability to play with blinding speed, sending cascades of solo notes flying from his right hand while brisk, sturdy chords resonated from the left, but he also played with stunning clarity, every note precisely articulated.

And his improvisational skills were dazzling, taking brilliant new approaches to the same songs every time.

“When I was 13 years old,” said Green, the 34-year-old jazz piano ace, “my parents bought me the reissues of the solo recordings that Tatum had recorded for [producer and record owner] Norman Granz.

“As I listened to it, I knew that it was a monumental experience for me. .. On a superficial level, anyone can recognize his dexterity. But there’s so much more subtlety to Tatum’s playing. His harmonic palette was absolutely the most sophisticated ever.

“He stands forever as a landmark, as a testament, to how beautiful this instrument can sound.”

Jason Moran, a 24-year-old jazz pianist who recently made his debut as a band leader on Blue Note, said he has spent months transcribing Tatum’s piano solos, carefully recording every note and then trying to duplicate songs that Tatum played spontaneously.

“The amazing thing about him, at least for me, is not only the incredible technique but the mind power that he put into the music,” Moran said. “To get past the notes and just to try to get into what he was thinking about, man, this guy was so inventive! He never played the same song the same way twice.

"Technically, harmonically, rhythmically, in every sense of the word, he was a true artist and genius.”

Claude Black, the veteran Toledo jazz pianist and member of The Murphy’s Trio, saw Tatum at Baker’s Keyboard Lounge in Detroit shortly before the jazz legend’s death in 1956.

“Oh man, I thought he was just terrific. The best, I think, of anybody I ever heard,” Black said.

He met Tatum after the show.

“He seemed to be a quiet, laid-back person,” Black added. “He just sat there and talked.”

Amadie, the Philadelphia jazz artist, said he was a teenage piano player when he went to see Tatum perform at the city’s Academy of Music in 1955.

“I couldn’t believe it, I just couldn’t believe it,” Amadie said, his voice rising in excitement even 44 years later. “ I remember talking to three keyboard players at the time who also happened to see Tatum. One said, ‘I think I’m going to quit. I’m never going to play again.’ Another said, ‘I think I’m going to get a day job.’ The third said, ‘I also play a little drums. I think I’ll start concentrating on the drums.’

“I said, ‘I’ve been practicing seven or eight hours a day, I think I’m going to start playing 10 or 12.’ He motivated me. He’ll keep you humble. He’ll make you understand that you have to study the rest of your life.”

“Anything you say about him is an understatement,” Green said. “To say he was an orchestra, to say he was the greatest solo pianist of all time, ultimately the music tells the tale. And his music is some of the most heavenly sounds I have ever heard or ever hope to hear in life.”

As a musician, Tatum’s abilities were beyond question. But as with many of history’s greatest artists, his level of fame and fortune never rose to his level of artistic achievement.

“How many frustrations Tatum had to suffer during his 46 years, none of us can ever quite know,” Feather once wrote. “He was black in a society that awarded honors to white musicians with a tenth of his talent. ... Beyond this was having come into jazz, his talent in full flower, during an era where there was no such thing as a jazz concert. During the peak creative years he was confined for the most part to small nightclubs.”

Tatum died of kidney disease on Nov. 5, 1956 at age 47 in Los Angeles.

[EKE BBB]

There´s an interesting story Dick Wellstood tells in the liner notes for a Storyville Donald Lambert release, about Tatum and his contenders in that night clubs, battling for the throne at the piano:

"One night Lambert (one of the greatest stride piano players) got all liquored-up in Jersey and headed for Harlem, looking to do battle with Tatum, who was generally acknowledged to be the King. He found Tatum and Marlowe Morris (considered second only to Tatum) sitting in the back room of some bar. Lambert flung himself at the piano, crying "I´ve come for you, Tatum!", and things of that nature, and launched into some blistering stride. Tatum heard him out. When it was all over and Lambert stood up, defiant Tatum said quietly "Take him, Marlowe""

[Jim R]

Wonderful thread. I think I meant to post here months ago, but never got around to it.

It's been some time since I listened to Tatum... at least in any depth. I used to keep at least one disc from the Pablo Solo Masterpieces in my 5-disc carousel player at all times (getting through a Tatum box set can take a LONG time, for reasons already well-explained above!). I think it's time I revisited the Group Masterpieces set, which I only got around to acquiring a few years ago.

I'm not sure whether or not it was mentioned here (I'll have to go back and read this thread again), but an old favorite- and probably my first exposure to Tatum's playing- was a 1944 session with Tiny Grimes and Slam Stewart. The LP I had (on Musidisc, as I recall) was called "Art Tatum Is Art". The CD release, or at least the version I have, is called "Trio Days":

Although Tatum still does not exactly fit the general idea of "ensemble player" on these recordings, there IS quite an interesting interplay and interaction between the three men. Recommended.