Art Tatum’s life explained

A tribute to one of the best who ever touched the keys: Art Tatum. Blind but determined, Art paved new horizons for not just jazz pianist, but jazz as a genre. Thank you for gifting us with your masterpieces. 🍎🤍🎵🎈🎹
.
.
.
Art Tatum 💎
1909-1956
.
.
.
Song: Tea for Two 🎵
What you are hearing is Art Tatum’s 1933 rendition but with a twist: at 2/3 the normal tempo. Personally, I enjoy the slower pace and how it changes the feeling of the song. Also, the unsuspecting ears can appreciate Tatum’s mastery to a finer detail.
.
.
.
The Magic of Art Tatum
Art Tatum was an American jazz pianist and widely regarded as one of the greatest ever to touch the keys.
Beyond his stride style, his technical ability was so extraordinary that he elevated the rising jazz scene of the 20s and 30s to new heights.
To many people’s surprise, Tatum was born nearly blind and eventually lost his sight completely in his 20’s.
This did not stop him.
Tatum’s encyclopedic memory, perfect pitch, and burning desire to play put this setback to rest.
At 21 he moved to New York City, where he made his most impressive recordings during the 1930s and ’40s using a stride-style left hand and highly varied right-hand stylings.
Tatum was said to be more spontaneous and creative in free-form nocturnal sessions than in his scheduled performances.
In rhythmically unpredictable spurts, he often generated lines with notes cascading across each other while weaving in and out of tempo.
Saxophonist Benny Green wrote that Tatum was the only jazz musician to "attempt to conceive a style based upon all styles, to master the mannerisms of all schools, and then synthesize those into something personal".
Tatum was able to transform the styles of preceding jazz piano through virtuosity.
Where other pianists had employed repetitive rhythmic patterns and relatively simple decoration, he created "harmonic sweeps of colour and unpredictable and ever-changing shifts of rhythm".
Tatum's improvisational style extended what was possible on jazz piano.
Tatum's influence went beyond the piano: his innovations in harmony and rhythm established new ground in jazz more broadly.
He made jazz musicians more aware of harmonic possibilities by changing the chords he used with great frequency; this helped lay the foundations for the emergence of bebop in the 1940s.
Some musicians were hampered by exposure to Tatum's abilities. Many pianists tried to copy him and attain the same level of ability, hindering their progress toward finding their own styles.
Some musicians, including Les Paul and Everett Barksdale, stopped playing the piano and switched to another instrument after hearing Tatum.
Thank you, Art, for your dazzling contribution to piano and for carving the way for jazz as a whole.
Art Tatum (1909-1956)
#stride #piano #jazz #jazzpianist #arttatum
#jazzpiano #jazz #piano #jazzmusic #music #jazzguitar #jazzmusician #pianist #jazzpianist #jazzbass #musician #pianoplayer #pianosolo #pianojazz #jazzdrums #pianomusic #jazzmusicians #jazzsax #pianocover #jazzsinger #livemusic #jazzmaster #improvisation #jazzstandard #saxophone #drums #swing #composer #jazzlover #jazzsolo
#jazz #jazzmusic #hondajazz #jazzdance #jazzy #jazzfunk #pickupjazz #jazzbass #jazzfest #jazzguitar #donjazzy #jazzmaster #jazzercise #jazzfestival #utahjazz #jazzband #livejazz #jazzsinger #jazzclub #jazzpiano #jazzfusion #smoothjazz #fenderjazzbass #latinjazz #streetjazz #jazzmusician #allthatjazz #jazzhands #jazznight #jazzbar #jazzvinyl #jazzyb #modernjazz #freejazz #jazzlover #acidjazz #jazzrock #gypsyjazz #instajazz #jazzlife
#piano #pianocover #pianomusic #pianoman #pianoforte #pianoplayer #pianolessons #vapiano #grandpiano #instapiano #pianobar #pianosolo #pianoteacher #jazzpiano #pianolove #pianogram #pianos #primopiano #reviewdietsetbypiano #renzopiano #pianopiano #pianolover #dietsetbypiano #pianoplaying #classicalpiano #pianocovers #pianokeys #pianogirl #pianotime #pianolesson #pianopractice #pianolife #pianorecital #yamahapiano #playingpiano #karobypiano #pianovideo #pianolovers #draffbypiano #pianosong #piano #pianocover #pianomusic #pianoman #pianoforte #pianoplayer #pianolessons #vapiano #grandpiano #instapiano #pianobar #pianosolo #pianoteacher #jazzpiano #pianolove #pianogram #pianos #primopiano #reviewdietsetbypiano #renzopiano #pianopiano #pianolover #dietsetbypiano #pianoplaying #classicalpiano #pianocovers #pianokeys #pianogirl #pianotime #pianolesson #pianopractice #pianolife #pianorecital #yamahapiano #playingpiano #karobypiano #pianovideo #pianolovers #draffbypiano #pianosong
Information from Wikipedia and Britannica

[@josiah566]

Survivor bias keeps us from fully verifying the extent to which others attempting to copy Tatum's style were "hampered" by the sheer scale of his ability, but pianists then and now have found their ways out. Oscar Peterson is pretty much viewed to be Tatum's successor in terms of the maximalist play style and runs and such, but to me his sense of swing and use of bebop is distinct from Tatum - not to mention that Peterson actually plays nicely with other musicians. Cory Henry has shared stories where he played Tatum endlessly as a teen, but he has still developed his own style merging Tatum's harmonic/melodic sensibilities, the rudiments of bebop and his background in church music.

[@ChuzzJazz]

0:00 - Introduction
0:22 - A Brief History of Art Tatum with his rendition of Tea for Two playing in the background (slowed to 2/3 his original speed)
02:46 - Yuja Wang
03:24 - Closing Panel

[@Hunter-fi1np]

Tatum was never completely blind. Research it.