Search - Art Tatum :: Live 1951 5

"Live" Tatum in Top Form...

Sébastien Melmoth | Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS | 03/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

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Tatum was in top form at these various dates in 1951.



Recorded live at the scenes, there is of course a good deal of "background"--i.e., bottles and glasses clinking, audience applause, etc. Still, all things considered, the sound is pretty good; and this is as close to hearing Tatum in person as anyone will ever now get.



There is the old saw that Tatum was better "live" than at studio dates. I don't buy it. Nevertheless, his moods and feelings would have been different at all times, whether in an NYC nightclub or at an LA recording studio. Therefore, each bloom or dream of a song will be different everytime. At nightclubs patrons would buy him drinks; in the studio, Norman Granz laid on the tub of beers--it's all the same. Point is, in 1951 Tatum was at the virtual height of his art and on the dates featured on this disc, he at the top of his game.



In earlier recording sessions, records could not exceed :03mins; but by 1951, recording techne could go on for up to :15 mins. Therefore, song track-time could increase, and here we have tracks of between :03-:06mins duration (viz., "Tenderly," "The Man I Love," "Body and Soul," "My Heart Stood Still," "Come Rain or Come Shine," etc.)--all Tatum classics.



Disc TT: :72mins. Storyville label with good liner notes. Issued by arrangement of the Tatum Estate.



Also recommended studio sessions:



Piano Solos 1945-1947

1949-1953

1934-1940

1932-1934

1949

Art Tatum 1934-1940

The Complete Pablo Solo Masterpieces

The Complete Pablo Group Masterpieces

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