ART TATUM (The greatest pianist you might have heard) Jazz History #25
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 เม.ย. 2022
- "First you speak of Art Tatum, then you take a deep breath and speak of all other pianists." So said Dizzy Gillespie. Fletcher Henderson said: “I think we are in the presence of the greatest talent you or I will ever hear.” Dave Brubeck said: “I think there is as much chance of another Tatum showing up as there is another Mozart.” Tatum’s astonishing virtuosity, fully evident even on his debut recording in 1933, is nearly unmatched in jazz history. If this is your introduction to the man Count Basie called "the eighth wonder of the world", prepare to be astonished.
There are many more videos like this one in the Jazz History playlist on this channel. Don't miss the one on Dorothy Donegan, about whom Art Tatum said: "She's the only one who can make me practice." (And whose video I subtitled 'The greatest pianist you never heard.')
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You forgot to mention that Rachmaninoff (who loved jazz) said "if Art Tatum played classical music we'd all be in trouble"
I rely on the viewers to fill in the gaps. :)
Some quote. Never heard it before.
Yes, I think he said that to Shastakovich, since they both would go to clubs and listen to Tatum. FYI neither of them was a slouch on the piano.
The Incomparable Vladimir Horowitz quoted & said? If Art Tatum decided to play Classical! I would stop all playing altogether
It was said! if you couldn't see Tatum play or perform! It sounded like Two Pianist playing
You left out that Mike Tyson said "if Art Tatum took up boxing i will quit".
Another accolade for Art Tatum from a major musician, Ray Charles. When he was asked to call one of his albums "The Genius of Ray Charles," he said, "I'm not a genius. Einstein was a genius. And Art Tatum, HE was a genius."
That's a good addition.
People often wonder why this great musician and virtuoso isn't better known to present-day music fans...like, say, Oscar Peterson or Erroll Garner - both of whom, as so many others, were Tatum apostles. But we have to keep in mind that Tatum came along when jazz was still in its toddler stages (especially jazz piano), recording technology was limited, and performance venues consisted almost exclusively of night clubs and after-hours joints. Tatum was at the forefront of raising jazz from its toddler stage to its flowering as a vibrant and legitimately serious musical art. He singlehandedly set the standard for instrumental mastery in jazz music, and made the classical world take notice of and begin to accept jazz as a comparably serious and intricate art form.
By the time jazz became a widely accepted, appreciated, and institutionalized musical art form in the late 1950s - moving out of night clubs and after-hours joints into concert halls and huge outdoor festivals - Tatum was dead. Because he came along in the formative years of jazz, Tatum's focus was on musical exploration and invention...creating the materials, concepts, and approaches that later great pianists such as Bill Evans, Erroll Garner, and Oscar Peterson would be inspired and guided by in the development of their own brilliant fan-pleasing styles of jazz piano playing.
In his wonderful biography of Art Tatum, James Lester tells us that Tatum had been planning for a tour that would have had him performing in the great concert halls across the country in a formal concert atmosphere...exactly the kind of venue he had craved all his life and to which he was perfectly suited for. Unfortunately, Tatum died before the tour took place. Had Tatum lived another 10 years - given the formal venues, television broadcasts, and other mass media available to bring exceptional jazz performers to public attention - this most remarkable musician would be a musical household name...even in contemporary times. Nevertheless, those who knew him or knew of him in his time, and those who have come to know him through the plethora of his material now available via social media, know that he was a truly special musician...a musician in a class of his own.
The whirlwind of Tatum's virtuosity and genius may have left some listeners struggling to keep up, and your point about the exposure afforded to early jazz musicians is well taken. In any case, the musicians I quoted in the video (and many others) attest to Tatum's enduring legacy and influence. Thanks for your insights!
Very well said. His genius was so vast that pieces of his music created the new forms that would have eventually placed him on a pedestal worthy of it.
Talent is undeniable but I’d still rather listen to Oscar Peterson with a rhythm section. Many great musicians talk of space. Playing with a rhythm section allows for that
I wd like to know if Art Tatum was also special,on slow tempo mode and why , I am not an expert in piano am just learning , from what I hear here it seems virtuose extremely skill full …
There are 2 choices of you play jazz piano: the Tatum school,or the Bud Powell school. Most of us choose Powell because-lets face it- Tatum was Tatum.
The ultimate master. Charlie Parker was a fan.
Vladimir Horowitz and Sergei Rachmaninoff, no small judges of talent, were in awe of Tatum.
Tatum is not to everyone's musical taste, as we can read in the comments, but on a scale of virtuosity he is an unquestioned master.
Please state your source for this statement. There's absolutely no evidence I can find that either of this giants were "in awe of Tatum". Tatum, on the other hand was a dedicated fan of Vladimir Horowitz and collector of his recordings.
No evidence? Just search the internet for "horowitz rachmaninoff art tatum".@@vova47
There's a great article on the website of the Philharmonie Luxembourg@@vova47
@@vova47 You see, it's a cool thing to type in the comment section of YT, a public space which attracts a thousand examples of self assertion for every verifiable statement.
When I was a music major, I took up a challenge to transcribe and learn Tatum's "Elegy", originally written by Jules Massenet. Although I could not manage the final part (too much for me), I was in a practice room enthusiastically going about learning the piece. The door burst open, and an old fuddy-duddy strings professor came in, visibly upset. He insulted me for "having the nerve to perform such a rendition ...", blah, blah, blah. I informed him that "the rendition" as he called it was in fact an arrangement by a piano virtuoso. He asked me, "Now, who might that be?" I replied that the virtuoso was Art Tatum. The prof shook his head and disdainfully commented "Never heard of that guy." I replied that I was not a bit surprised. He left the room and I resumed practicing the piece ...
Hahaha. Some people can't just accept anything outside their personal preferences as music.
"Never heard of him but I know I don't like him." :)
Interesting story! There's another one I'd read somewhere about that very same arrangement. There was a pianist who had transcribed "Elegy" and supposedly played it note-for-note in front of Tatum himself. As he finished, everyone wanted to know Tatum's opinion. It looked like he wasn't that impressed, saying, "this guy sure knows how, but he doesn't know why" or something along those lines.
I kinda feel bad for that professor….
Monk and other pianists I listen to for ideas. Tatum I listen to just for the awe and wonder.
Smart man.
@@chasesanborn Oh, I know when not to even try. :^)
I was about to make a similar comment, except try to say it more cleverly. I would modify the first sentence by replacing "Monk and other pianists" with "All other pianists..." Just joking, you understand :). But it's clear we do share a similar appreciation of Art Tatum's genius...greatest pianists of the 20th century!
@@ltravail Some wag back in Tatum's day remarked of a musician on Tatum's level that, "I can't even make his mistakes." I keep trying to explain to young guys that you can remember every note Tatum played, whereas young guys today have incredible technique but when the night is done I can't remember a single note. The same goes, in terms of being highly rememberable, for Chet Baker, Joe Pass, Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, Coleman Hawkins, too many players of yore to mention. When Gillespie or Parker finished soloing, you'd find yourself replaying virtually every note in your mind on the way home.
@@gregmonks9708 Yep. Difference between a great musician and a good one.
When I hear Art Tatum play the single word “how?” comes repeatedly to mind.
Simple: Just play several times faster and more complex than you think possible.
@@chasesanborn Then, transpose it.
If Tatum had lived, I am sure he would have adopted many of the melodic ideas of bebop, Harmonically he was way ahead of his time.
Tatum was alive during the bebop years, but certainly his formative experience predated it. He sounds ahead of the time even now!
You channel is such an incredibly beautiful, thoughtful, and respectful archive of Jazz History. Thank you for making this history so accessible to the world.
Those are lovely words, thank you! It was a hidden benefit of Covid that I had to make all these videos to teach my course online; I'm so glad they can now be shared with others.
I'd heard of Art, but never listened to any of his work. Holy cow... I'm completely gobsmacked.
Imagine how people felt in 1933!
Same here 😮! I had no idea this man was such an incredible musician!
So my title is apt!
Yes the first time I heard him "god smacked" is definitely the right word's. My husband studied the piano and we both loved Art Tatum, can hardly wait to get a new record player with the ability to record CD's some of his music for friends, and one in a virtual world we connected on loving so much music our fav being Frank Zappa, especially his instrumental music.
@@user-kc1sj2bd8d It's "gobsmacked"-you can't smack someone in the god.
I hear Tea for Two now for “my first time.”
There is a first time for everything.
Tatum was so inventive he was unbelievable! I’m 83 and have admired him for years. In fact since my Dad introduced him to me in 1954. Enjoy!
The word 'genius' is often overused, but not in Art Tatum's case!
There is general agreement on that.
I'm a classical pianist. I don't understand jazz much. Jazz pianists are a different world! Very impressive.
See what you think of Bill Evans: th-cam.com/video/VVA-N91QZzU/w-d-xo.html
There's not even a question he was learning on pianos that were not well tuned and had bum keys and wasn't coached by the university masters and elite yet......Listen. That's why the reference to Mozart. He was born to do this with great extraordinary gifts.
No other way to get there.
His cover of Tiger Rag is absolutely amazing
Not bad for a first time out!
Jazz piano GOAT.
A fair and concise description.
More like Piano GOAT, maybe even more than that. He could obviously do anything he wanted to do on the piano, literally anything, way beyond genre. The only parallel I can think of is Frank Lloyd Wright.
art tatum was way over everybodys head, no matter the instrument..nobody is even close..
As the quotes attest.
The really meaning of a pianist.😢 listen to the last recording of him playing in this video😭
The kind of bio that every great genius deserves...
That's a flattering response (for both Art and Chase), thank you!
His light touch and chromatic runs along with those graceful passing chords created another world for jazz to follow. Nobody will ever climb the heights of harmony that he danced through almost in an effortless manner. A giant among 20th-century piano players.
One should probably never say never, but many decades later his ability is astonishing.
Someone once tried to explain the distinction between 'talent' and 'genius'. I remember only the latter definition, and it was, basically, "someone who can do things that no one else can explain|"!. I am reminded of this, ten-fold, as I watch and listen to Art Tatum!
An apt definition.
Dear Chase,
I have spent literally years watching, listening, and reading documentaries of all sorts. I have spent (maybe I shouldn't have) several thousands of hours on TH-cam, but this fine documentary deserves real praise. This is a very informative documentary, with absolutely no rubbish or anything superfluous. We have learned a lot of (important) information here, on what may be considered as a chapter that is absolutely unique in musical history.
Thank you for sharing your rich musical knowledge and your rare period archives. You area doing a great job.
I have subscribed.
Greetings from France.
I appreciate that. Hopefully you'll feel the same way about the many others in the Jazz History series. In particular, I'd point you to this one on Dorothy Donegan, as there is a tie in to Art Tatum: th-cam.com/video/KJ7OLTl-HRE/w-d-xo.html
@@chasesanborn THIS IS GREAT AND JUST LEARNED ABOUT DOROTHY DONEGAN. SHE WAS GREAT ALSO.
@@chasesanborn THANKS A MILLION AND A MILLION BRAOS FOR THS VIDEO.
Art Tatum is the greatest jazz piano player at all times!!!!
Many would agree.
Wow his playing is mesmerizing
A reasonable assessment!
Art Tatum was definitely a virtuostic cut above the rest. Pure talent and genius ❤
While virtuosity is not always the measure of musical preference, i.e., one might well prefer to listen to Basie over Tatum, it's hard to point to someone who could top Tatum at his own game. You could say the same for Charlie Parker.
@@chasesanborn oh for sure. I don't deny musical talent of the less "virtuous" in terms of technicality, but in the jazz/stride arena, Tatum truly took the art to higher heights.
Definitely the greatest. Agreed 10000%
Art Tatum was the Frederick Chopin of American Jazz.
Indeed! & well said! Chopin was the Greatest of his time! Sadly passed at 39 yrs old in Paris! His Polonaise op 53 gets me everytime
He wasn't. Chopin music is being played every day in every concert hall all around the world and is universally beloved by professionals and lay audiences alike.
Art Tatum didn't leave a single composition for pianists to study and transcriptions of his playing are performed rarely and never attracted large audiences.
@@vova47 Check again in about 50 years.
Just about everyone agrees or knows, or just feels, the ART on the jazz piano is Art Tatum, for in a world of recollection, knowledge, assessment, judgement, appreciation, nobody doubts the amazing above the normal ability of Art's playing, for which we remain so astounded,. I would believe, no possible dispute, that such as Liszt, Chopin, Schumann, Rachmaninoff, Rubenstein, would kneel to Tatum.
Or at the very least buy him a drink. :)
When Oscar Peterson was about sixteen, his father surprised him with a recording of Art Tatum, whom Oscar had never heard. The aim was to cut young Oscar's ego down to size. Oscar got very upset about "being bested" and stopped his multiple-hours per day practice for about two weeks. Then he decided to get back to it, and admired Tatum for the rest of his life ...
Tatum would cut most egos down to size. My video on Oscar: th-cam.com/video/eoq7D3fyfwY/w-d-xo.html
Dumb fathering. Inspire, don't "cut down".
@@ijohnny.Maybe, but it worked, didn't it.
It might be said, and I say "might", he got great despite the task-master intrusions, not because of them. @@bobdillaber1195
O, Peterson arguably 2nd greatest Jazz Pianist
his harmony was amazing too . like rach...
Total command.
Tatum the greatest of the greatest musician of all time".....
irripetibile Tatum ❤
Great big luscious chords that flow into your brain through your ears! A master! Better than the best!
In the opening chords of Tiger Rag is was doing Debussy. After that, it got crazy.
Tatum had a whirlwind of musical knowledge undergirding his prodigious technique.
Ah, it’s my friend with the Liberace connection! It did not occur to me that this video was coming was your channel! I was wondering if you ever saw my channel where in I show and claim that we hear the chromatic notes in the same colorings as the rainbow spectrum. The current video I put up is the second vid on my Acoustic Rabbit Hole Channel. It’s call “How I See The Color Shapes When I Play Piano.” Both Adam Neely and Rick Beato got the whole thing wrong! @@chasesanborn
wow how did they even transcribe that? thats a small wonder in itself
It's almost as impressive visually as it is aurally.
@@chasesanborn ok weird question ...I just saw your name., did you ever (busk)play in Ottawa Canada(downtown)? if so I believe you used to play sax?? if so you probably know me or knew me back when I was performing classical guitar if not my bad. thanks for the awesome lesson on Art Tatum. I have a whole new appreciation for him. I never realized he was so good. I also LOOOVE Oscar Peterson.
Although I am in Canada, I play trumpet and, have never busked anywhere, so not the person you are remembering. Glad you enjoyed the video though. Here's the one on Oscar: th-cam.com/video/eoq7D3fyfwY/w-d-xo.html (If you are still in Ottawa, you can sit next to him at the National Arts Centre. :)
I’ve never heard the piano played quite that exquisitely. Thank you for posting some of the work of this incomparable talent. Astonishing!
As I wrote in the description, if this is your introduction to Art Tatum, prepare to be as astonished as they were 90 years ago.
Unlike many other people, I'm quite fond of casually listening to Art on a regular basis. When I first heard him play, it was like a completely different world, like music from the Moon. And even though I've gotten quite used to Tatum's virtuosity, sometimes I still just shake my head in disbelief at his genius.
Kind of sad to know the greatest musician I've ever heard died almost 50 years before I was born but oh well. It's good to live in a time when I can take all of his music with me wherever I go, but what I wouldn't give to see him play live...
As you suggest, some people are impressed by Tatum's virtuosity but find his style to be too much of a whirlwind for casual listening. Some even dismiss him as nothing more than flash--you can read both in the comments. Regardless of musical preference, we are all fortunate that we can still listen to most of the musicians throughout jazz history, and at this point in time with the click of a button.
Nice, Chase! I've heard it said of bassists playing with Art Tatum was like trying to change the fan belt on your car with the engine running!
Good one. Related only insofar as the car reference, a friend once referred to his old beater car as making a noise 'like a toolbox in a dryer'. :)
@@chasesanborn Lol!
Tatum it was a solo pianist, mostly in this stride format that being said, being a bass player with him should be challenging
All the things I still think of him after 25 years with music and the music industry. Nothing like Taboo on earth.
He is just as amazing ninety years after his debut recording.
Yeah surely a genius and exemplary character during a very very rough time for His beautiful color in America! Bless him in jazz heaven.
Hopefully that exists!
An amazing pianist!
Undoubtably.
Dude set up the runs and rearrangement (New Melodies on old changes)of old standards for Bird and bebop too. The link between old and new.
That's something to consider when his debut recording was less than 20 years after the very first jazz recording.
His flat-fingered approach reminds me of Vladimir Horowitz. Amazing how both made that work.
Geniuses sometimes break the rules to break the boundaries.
too marvelous for words!
No more words : just listen
That's the only way to understand music.
Thank you for this Chase. A genius has only one precedent: Himself.
"An ordinary genius is someone you and I could match, if not surpass. There is no mystery in the way his brain works (..). But it's something entirely different with wizards. The functioning of their minds is totally incomprehensible. Even once we understand what they accomplished, how they did it remains totally obscure" (Marc Kac, about the mathematician Ramanujan: Also true about Art Tatum).
Great comparison!
As the story goes, a famous classical composer/pianist heard Tatum and said “if this man starts playing classical, we are in serious trouble”. The quote was attributed to Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Rubenstein and probably others, and may as well not be true at all.
But as Italians say, si non é vero, é bene trovato.
As an alternate translation: 'Even if it's not true, it's true.' No pianist could be immune to Tatum's virtuosity, as the quotes in this video attest.
It was rachmoninoff
A stellar GENIUS!
thanks for this---huge fan, and the late recording "20th Century Piano Genius" is my personal favorite, and I probably wore out 2 or 3 copies too
Glad you enjoyed it!
B4 my time. I know someone who adorned Tatum... Hayward Horne... Said he played after hours in Harlem... early..stayed late... Tatum remembered what he played... amazing story..
Absolutely incredible. Nobody can touch him. Oscar.... maybe.
Oscar would have said no, but the comparison is obvious.
Phileas Newborn Jr and Oscar Peterson were who I think came the closest to Tatum from what I have heard.
@@chasesanborn, die Leichtigkeit, mit der er selbst schwierigste Passagen bewältigt, übertrifft sogar O.P. noch deutlich.
I love music and have a pretty good ear. I have no Idea how this man did this. I feel like an infant.
You are not alone!
These quotes are so incredible. Because each one are masters, and masters are in total awe. Rare quote from Bird
Bird's grace and humility are evident in his interview with Paul Desmond which you can hear in this video: th-cam.com/video/k--SupI2e2Q/w-d-xo.html
That Tiger Rag -- off the chain!@!__🎹
What a wonderful Video!!! Great topic! Thanks for highlighting one of the greatest!
Thanks for saying so!
He could do an entire concert and entertain people with just the genius of his LEFT HAND virtuosity....🎹🎼🎹
The story goes that when Tatum was critical of Bud Powell (no slouch) for not making good use of his left hand, that Bud played the next set with only his left.
@@chasesanborn LOL..Thanks for that nugget..Great Story.
Thank you very much from france for this video , i discover Art Tatum
I'm pleased to be the bearer of good news!
Wow that is so awesome, just wow man ❤
Although not everyone loves Art Tatum's style, as we can read in the comments, I don't see how one could not be wowed by his ability. As the quotes in the video attest.
Imagine him teaching you piano
Having Art's trio with Buddy Rich, we can see why Buddy kept firing bass players who couldn't keep that driving beat.
Buddy was one of those leaders who set a high standard for himself and was intolerant of those who did not do likewise.
One of the best❤
This isn't jazz - it's not even of this world - it feels like you need another brain and more ears just to listen to it. Imagine trying to play like this.
It's hard enough trying to keep up with your ears (or your eyes, in the case of the transcription), let alone your fingers.
This is a great video compilation of his work and I enjoyed it very much. Thanks Chase 😊
Thanks for saying so!
I have a fantasy if I was able to back in time I would go see Art Tatum play the piano and i don't play any instrument except maybe my Knees lol
Your knees would be pretty sore after a set with Tatum. :)
Art
If you enjoyed this video, there are many more like it on this channel. In particular, don't miss the one on Dorothy Donegan, about whom Art Tatum said: "She's the only one who can make me practice." th-cam.com/video/KJ7OLTl-HRE/w-d-xo.html
I would loved to have been able to hear Tatum in a duet with Yuja Wang...
Or with Dorothy Donegan
😂😂😂
Yuja Wang often plays Art Tatum's version of "Tea for Two" as an encore.
I don't know how fast Yuja Wang can reharmonize a motif. Art Tatum would sit in the back room of clubs drinking beer and chatting while other pianists had a go, then late in the evening would come out and play what everyone else had played, faster, with dazzling harmonic inventions. It would be cool to see him respond to a rendition of a classical piece he was unfamiliar with.
Art Tatum had three and four dimensional sound when everyone else had 2.
He was certainly thinking in more than one dimension.
Genius
Thank you for this priceless document.
You are welcome!
Thank you so much for this info!
You are welcome!
When I hear that 1933 recording of Tiger Rag I can only sum it up with two words - HOLY SHIT!
Imagine what you would have said if you heard it in 1933.
I recommend a CD entitled 'John Davis Plays Blind Tom'. Blind Tom was a blind slave who was probably operating at the same level of genius as Tatum but had the misfortune to be born a slave and spend his life being exploited and treated like a mentally damaged freak.
A similar story in some respects from another musical era, particularly in the way they were promoted in their youth. The incredible thing about Tatum is how much he stands alone 90 years after his debut recording, sounding as unworldly now as he did then.
watching Art Tatum is like watching a bird... too fast to really see, but always beautiful
Nice analogy!
Sometimes when I listen to an Art Tatum record, I wonder if I'm accidentally playing a 33 on 45rpm 😂
Let's apply that speed change to Basie and see if he sounds like Tatum. :)
Humans feel that they have a capacity for genius. We are all looking for that supplement that will unlock this genius.
Let me know if you find it... :)
Huge hands too. For us who don't have huge hands, some of the stuff is just not possible to play. Walking 10ths for example.
That might be the least of the worries for someone trying to emulate Tatum. :)
Great video and very informative!
Thanks for saying so!
My pleasure. Thanks for taking the time to do this! Art Tatum was an incredible pianist and every generation should know about him.@@chasesanborn Btw, I come from a musical family. My dad was a professional trombonist which is why I knew about him.
Can you have to much of a talent? The fastest gun in the piano world, humbling all other pianist.. And, almost to much of the good stuff, one of a kind.
We need those people to keep us humble. (Although it would take a much lesser talent than Tatum to have that effect on me. :)
Tatum was the greatest unaccompanied jazz solo pianist, no question. However (to plug another great master), Earl Hines’s extraordinary solo albums from the last two decades of his life are far too little known. He was rhythmically often more exploratory than Tatum, and no less dramatic.
Here's my video on Earl Hines, focusing more on his early career with Louis Armstrong. th-cam.com/video/561igH0XCr0/w-d-xo.html
he's the Liszt of the XX century
Some musicians, including Les Paul and Everett Barksdale, stopped playing the piano and switched to another instrument after hearing Tatum.
Occasionally people come along who close the book, never to be surpassed on their own playing field. Tatum was one, Charlie Parker was another.
@@chasesanborn well put
6:56 astonishing!
🙂..Dorothy Donegan...play.like.that too.🙏❤
th-cam.com/video/KJ7OLTl-HRE/w-d-xo.html
I looked at your channel and was surprised that you haven’t mentioned or done a video on Vince Guaraldi.
Vince Guaraldi had an immensely appealing style, and it's possible he has been heard by more people than any other jazz musician, thanks to the Peanuts cartoons. The videos in my ongoing Jazz History series are an adaptation of a PowerPoint presentation for a university course I used to teach. There are a LOT of artists I was not able to cover because of time constraints, but I tried to focus on the ones who had the greatest impact on the evolution of the music. Scores of videos barely scratch the surface, but hopefully whet a few whistles.
I need to go and lie down after Tiger Rag Thank God I'm not a pianist.
Art and Franz Liszt would have been great friends!
Sound like Tom chasing Jerry my morning cartoons as a child
The problem with the great Tatum is he plays everything all at once!
It certainly presents a challenge for the listener to keep up.
Simple fact - if you are jazz pianist and happen to have enough technique and knowledge to build your style after Art Tatum almost to perfection, you won't get any work outside of playing solo piano. Virtually no bands nave use for that style of piano playing today.
I expect your advice is only applicable to a select few. The same can be said for the styles of Scott Joplin, James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Earl Hines etc.. But we can admire them for what they contributed to the historical lineage.
@@chasesanborn Yes we can and we should study all the styles of jazz piano.
Often crossing each other paths while on Tour, The great Duke Ellington would take all cost to avoid Tatum & not take a chance & get showed up
Never follow dogs, children or Art Tatum.
music starts at 4.23
For those who don't have 4.5 minutes to waste. :)
Not only was he blind but , he never played the same thing twice it was all improvised
Not many (more likely no) improvisers never play the same thing twice, but your point is well taken.
I dont really see much sign of Tatum's so-called "flat finger" technique in the live clip at the end.
You can see in the closeups reflected off the piano, that his hands are moderately elevated and fingers curved when playing at speed.
It's only his left hand that seems flattish when he's doing casual comping, but he reverts to more conventional form when it speeds up.
At least thats what I see, but then I'm no piano expert.
Neither am I!
Like Martha Argerich, impossibly good.
That would have been quite a cutting contest, had they played together.
Martha told me she was actually Erroll Garner fan
@@vova47 I always confuse him with Errol Flynn
@@vova47 I could see that. He was so playful.
As an amateur pianist I agree the virtuosity and skill of Tatum’s playing is unparalleled in Jazz history. It is not however “enjoyable” to listen to for very long in my opinion. That being said I will take the melodic harmonies and playing style of a Bill Evans any day.
'Enjoyable' is of course subjective. I too have my preferences, and they tend to be in the direction of introspection rather than flash, i.e., the power of understatement. But imagine sitting in the room with Art Tatum for that last clip! Virtuosity comes in many forms and we are the richer for all of it.
@@chasesanborn Who could deny that. In many ways his playing reminds me of Oscar Peterson. it is masterful, there is no doubt but it simply does not speak to me soulfully. Maybe Tatum was capable of that type of performance and I am not familiar enough with his works to have heard it?? Suggestions?
@@jsmdifySweet Lorraine
Ain't Misbehavin
Fine and Dandy
I Surrender Dear
I have transcriptions which I've been trying to learn 40 years now. Just about manage a few passages, get busy and don't practise and back to square one.
I like "I Surrender Dear" most, perhaps closer to soulful that you mentioned. But I agree, mostly it's an assault on the ears, to be listened to sparingly.
Ridiculous comparison. As a virtuoso pianist, Tatum was in a class by himself. Different styles, different eras. Both were geniuses.
The next two videos in the Jazz History series focus on Bill Evans. Stay tuned!
His mind was a super computer
So it would seem.
Okay simplifying Tatum's playing to playing all the Black keys over the piano and I'm not quite sure what That's about
Not quite sure what your comment is about either...