Search - Art Tatum :: 1932-34

The first CD in Chronological Classics' series on Art Tatum, this disc includes the earliest extant recordings of Tatum. Tatum arrived in New York as an accompanist to Adelaide Hall, a pedestrian singer now largely forgotten, but the event is chronicled here in their four recordings together. There are already flashes of brilliance apparent in some of the piano parts. Tatum recorded his first four studio solos for Columbia in 1933, and each is a staggering example of his technique and his powers of invention, with Tatum focusing his energies on some of the most common jazz tunes of the day. "Tiger Rag," heard as well in an early broadcast transcription, is a marvel, turning the Original Dixieland Jazz Band's novelty tune into a pyrotechnic explosion. Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady" seems to particularly inspire Tatum's harmonic explosion. The final 16 tracks come from Tatum's 1934 Decca recordings. The full range of ballads, pop, and jazz tunes provides a rich portrait of a pianistic marvel at the dawn of his fame. --Stuart Broomer