Search - Art Tatum :: 20th Century Piano Genius

Look out !!!...

JEAN-MARIE JUIF | BESANCON France | 03/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Outstanding.Amazing.Stupendous.Miraculous.Extraordinary.Majestuous.Imperial.This is Art Tatum (1910-1956) at his highest level.THis is simply piano playing at its highest level,wether it is jazz,classical,or any kind of music.NOBODY never reached,or just approached Tatum's incredible technique.Born blind,Tatum arrived in NYC in 1933 with Adelaide Hall,an ex-Ellington singer and quickly became the King.It is said that Fats Waller,playing one night in a club,and seeing Tatum in the hall,said "I'm playing here but God is in the house tonight";masters like Toscanini,Rubinstein and Horowitz used to listen to him and were fascinated by his talents.Tatum could play improbable chords progressions at the highest speed,and the swing was always here.He was one of the greatest geniuses in the history of music,and this record may be the most beautiful introduction to his world.
Most of the tunes were recorded July3,1955 in Beverly Hills,at Ray Heindorf's home,who was Musical Director for Warner Bros.EVERY tune is a masterpiece.You can't believe your ears when you listen to these treasuries."Sweet Lorraine",for example,is one of the most magnificent piece of music ever recorded.Or "begin the beguine",played at an infernal tempo;or George Gershwin's "someone to watch over me".Or "you took advantage of me",in which shades of Teddy Wilson appear.By the way,Tatum once said that he would have loved to BE ABLE to play like Wilson.The great Teddy never received a better hommage."yesterdays" is another gem,and Bud Powell could have played the ad-lib introduction;then,every classical pianist must have been terrified by what's coming.The somptuous "I'll never be the same" makes me think of the masterpiece Billie Holiday and Lester Young made of this tune,some 17 years earlier.The rare "little man,you've had a busy day" finds here its greatest interpretation."My heart stood still" again makes me think to Bud Powell,and also to Dinah Washington's gorgeous version.Tatum played the blues very rarely;of course,he waxed a couple of boogies that were real nightmares for every tickler;his version of Freddie Shayne's "Mr Freddie's blues" is a masterpiece of swing,sometimes remembering another mad man,Fats Waller.Sometimes,I wondered why Bud Powell played "there will never be another you";now,I know why.Once again,after an improbable introduction,Tatum goes into the tune with his very personnal,relaxed tempo that swings like mad.Same thing for "wrap your troubles in dreams",a tune Louis Armstrong made popular many many years before.And,to me,one of the most beautiful compositions in the jazz history,"memories of you",written by the immense pianist,Mr Eubie Blake (1883-1983).The fact is,that each musician who recorded this tune made a masterpiece of it: Armstrong,Monk,Pee Wee Russell,Doc Cheatham,Dollar Brand among others.
This two cd set is a magnificent introduction to Art Tatum's music,but more than this,it ranks among the greatest milestones in the music of the 20th century.Please,don't miss these hours of pure joy."

ART TATUM is GOD

Iris M. Harlan | Pittsburgh, PA United States | 05/24/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is simply nothing else like this 2 CD set of Art Tatum. Even other Tatum discs dont compare to the tracks he laid down on these two evenings, one of them in 1950 and one in 1955.
In my opinion the sound quality here is better than any other Tatum CD. That is besides the point though. The fact is that on these two CDs you will here the great genius Tatum playing with more FEELING than ever before or after. That is all there is to it.
We are lucky to have 2 hours and 17 minutes of beautiful solos from Artur T! He plays many of the great standards. Tatum offers two version of each of the following songs: Love For Sale, Sweet Lorraine, Yesterdays, Body and Soul, Someone To Watch Over Me. Hearing the differences in those versions gives us a greater understanding of Tatum's genius...that is- how much can be varied within a given song.
Every song is a gem- but my absolute favorites include....wait, they are all so good, i could make a case for any one of them. One track, however, does stick in my mind unlike any other. It is Mr. Freddie Blues. Tatum plays half-jokingly, becuase he tells his friends that they like the "simple" stuff. So Tatum plays a blues in the key of C with no fancy runs at all. The result is spectacular, and you must hear it.
There is also a virtuoso fast performance of Begin the Beguine, amazing harmonies in Someone To Watch Over Me, constant key changes in Honeysuckle Rose, and the performance of After You've Gone which is both sad and humorous. And there are the two versions of Love For Sale that seem impossible to execute at that speed, but I am thankful that Tatum could execute his ideas. His ideas are endless and brilliant.
I must mention again that the FEELING on this album is beyond any other Tatum disc.
As far as solo piano goes, this ranks right up at the top with Glenn Gould's recording of the Goldberg Variations and Arthur Rubinstein's recording of Chopin Ballades."

Dazzling piano at Art's place...

svf | 03/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fantastic solo piano recordings of Art Tatum at home with a few very lucky guests listening along. A wonderfully intimate recording, you can hear the background sounds of glass clinking, guests chatting between tunes (and occasionally during tunes), and Art's numerous big rings clicking on the piano keys. The playing is all vintage Tatum: breathtaking miniature epic explorations of standards that amaze and delight at every turn. The program is similar in style and song selection to the massive boxed set of studio recordings "The Complete Pablo Solo Masterpieces," yet I find myself listening to this release more often because it sets such a wonderful mood: transporting me to Art Tatum's living room on a relaxed early '50s afternoon, sharing some Pabst Blue Ribbon and being astounded by the genius at the piano... why don't you stop by, too?"