Art Tatum: Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings

[mhatta]

Art Tatum: Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings.

https://resonancerecords.org/product/art-tatum-jewels-in-the-treasure-box-cd/

I completely missed the release announcement (the LP is coming out on RSD, and the CD is due next week), but I am very excited about it. The fact that it was recorded live at the Blue Note Club in Chicago implies that it has the exact origin as the recently unearthed recordings of Jeri Southern or Lennie Tristano from Uptown Jazz some years ago, and the sound quality seemed fine when I listened to the samples on Bandcamp. I also liked the atmosphere of the audience at the club, who were in high spirits after witnessing a little miracle.

I know there are those who have different opinions, but I personally prefer Art Tatum's group playing to his solo piano playing (piano solos are of course great, but gradually getting tiring) and I prefer the live recordings to the studio recordings.  This edition of the Art Tatum Trio with Slam Stewart on bass and Everett Barksdale on guitar is possibly the best unit Tatum ever had.  I already have many Art Tatum sources, but still an excellent addition.

[jazzbo]

I've pre-ordered the cd set--I really enjoy Everett Barksdale's playing and this should be great.

[Brad]

This is probably the only RSD vinyl I’m purchasing.  I want to have this one in vinyl; also makes the notes easier to read.  I will probably order the other RSD releases that I wish to purchase in cd. If it’s sold out, then I will just get the cd. 

[kh1958]

I also pre-ordered the CD from Resonance, along with the Sonny Rollins set from 1959.

[Teasing the Korean]

So there's no solo content here, only trio?

[Ken Dryden]

The Tatum is unbelievable, a real find. The solos are the Tatum showpieces like “Elegy” and “Tabu.”

[tranemonk]

I'm listening to it now. I found the section where he tells the audience to be quiet because he's about to play some solos, kind of funny.

[Ken Dryden]

Tatum must have been frustrated dealing with noisy club audiences. Too bad he didn't live to do the international solo tour in concert halls that Norman Gran had scheduled for him. European audiences would have gone nuts over him.

I get a kick out of his remarks after playing "Kerry Dance," a signature sign off piece, to "Go home." 

[Brad]

On 4/21/2024 at 8:05 PM, Ken Dryden said:

The Tatum is unbelievable, a real find. The solos are the Tatum showpieces like “Elegy” and “Tabu.”

Zev knows how to find ‘em. Wonder what other goodies he’s sitting on. 

[Ken Dryden]

To give you an idea Zev has a collection of raw tapes from the Penthouse in Seattle. Can you imagine how time consuming it must be to go through a treasure trove like that? Of course, he is narrowing it down to artists that he thinks will have sufficient interest. Just think about all of the NPR series (Jazz Alive!, The American Radio Jazz Festival, Jazzset,plus various short-lived live jazz series like the one recorded in St. Louis) plus jazz festivals that were broadcast, APR's Four Queens Jazz Night From Las Vegas, etc., and there is a mountain of recordings to explore.

Evidently European broadcast networks are more organized in storing these vintage recordings, considering how many have been issued from Swiss Radio, WDR, Radio France, etc. What about the BBC jazz archives, does anyone know a contact there? I shared most of one of two live broadcasts by Dick Hyman with the pianist and he would love to get the full set and release them.

I'm glad that I dubbed hundreds of satellite feeds while working at an NPR station as much as possible, though there were always feeds that I missed or somebody forgot to record them.

[tranemonk]

4 hours ago, Ken Dryden said:

To give you an idea Zev has a collection of raw tapes from the Penthouse in Seattle. Can you imagine how time consuming it must be to go through a treasure trove like that? Of course, he is narrowing it down to artists that he thinks will have sufficient interest. Just think about all of the NPR series (Jazz Alive!, The American Radio Jazz Festival, Jazzset,plus various short-lived live jazz series like the one recorded in St. Louis) plus jazz festivals that were broadcast, APR's Four Queens Jazz Night From Las Vegas, etc., and there is a mountain of recordings to explore.

Evidently European broadcast networks are more organized in storing these vintage recordings, considering how many have been issued from Swiss Radio, WDR, Radio France, etc. What about the BBC jazz archives, does anyone know a contact there? I shared most of one of two live broadcasts by Dick Hyman with the pianist and he would love to get the full set and release them.

I'm glad that I dubbed hundreds of satellite feeds while working at an NPR station as much as possible, though there were always feeds that I missed or somebody forgot to record them.

There's an Emily Remler live bootleg set from the Four Queens (I think) that I WOULD LOVE someone to resurrect and clean up. I can't believe there hasn't been one reissue or, "find" of her live material. I suspect she would do well commercially.

[mjzee]

1 hour ago, tranemonk said:

There's an Emily Remler live bootleg set from the Four Queens (I think) that I WOULD LOVE someone to resurrect and clean up. I can't believe there hasn't been one reissue or, "find" of her live material. I suspect she would do well commercially.

I would buy it.

[Ken Dryden]

16 hours ago, tranemonk said:

There's an Emily Remler live bootleg set from the Four Queens (I think) that I WOULD LOVE someone to resurrect and clean up. I can't believe there hasn't been one reissue or, "find" of her live material. I suspect she would do well commercially.

There are at least two that I have, one is her leading a trio, the other is a duet with Larry Coryell. I got so tired of hearing host Alan Grant that I frequently edited out his often tedious remarks. I think I dubbed the trio from a satellite feed.

[Dan Gould]

16 hours ago, tranemonk said:

There's an Emily Remler live bootleg set from the Four Queens (I think) that I WOULD LOVE someone to resurrect and clean up. I can't believe there hasn't been one reissue or, "find" of her live material. I suspect she would do well commercially.

I don't know that I would suspect that, like, at all.  She recorded five times for Concord in the 80s and died at the age of 32 in 1990. A fine player but is she a household name even in jazz homes? I think it would take monumental PR to make a reissue enticing at $30 per LP or whatever they are going for today.

[JSngry]

It does seem that she has a cult following though, for whatever that's worth.

[jazzbo]

I have about three hours of Remler boot material and it would be a great thing to have these in better shape.

[Ken Dryden]

Here are some Four Queens set lists for Emily Remler

May ?, 1984:

Moanin'
How Insensitive
You Don't Know What Love Is
Hot House >
What Is This Thing Called Love?
Out Of Nowhere
Tenor Madness

 

Emily Remler - Electric Guitar
Cocho Arbe - Grand Piano
Carson Smith - Double Bass
Tom Montgomery - Drums

 

Larry Coryell & Emily Remler November 11, 1985:

The Firebird*
Alone Together
Satin Doll
Bolero*
Snowfall

 

Larry Coryell-acoustic & electric guitar (solo*)

Emily Remler-electric guitar

September 19, 1988:

Yesterdays (Kern-Hammerstein)
Polka Dots and Moonbeams (Van Heusen-Burke)
All Blues (Miles Davis)
Manha de Carneval (Luiz Bonfa) 
D Natural Blues (Wes Montgomery)

 

Emily Remler - guitar
Carson Smith - bass
John Pesci - drums

[Dan Gould]

2 hours ago, JSngry said:

It does seem that she has a cult following though, for whatever that's worth.

I think it  would have to be surprisingly large to move units the way the usual suspects can.

[jazzbo]

I think many would be surprised how many may turn out to buy copies of never before officially released Remler. I see a lot of talk of her on and off the forums.