Art Tatum
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Arthur Tatum Jr.
Art Tatum
Born: October 13, 1909
Toledo, Ohio
Died: November 5, 1956
Occupation: Jazz pianist
Arthur Tatum Jr. (October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist.
Art Tatum was known for his virtuosic piano playing and creative improvisation. Tatum was widely recognized among his colleagues as the most gifted jazz pianist alive. To many, he was one of the greatest pianists of any musical genre, and arguably one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century and -- putting aside the great composers -- possibly the greatest instrumentalist of all time. Critic Scott Yanow declares that "Tatum's recordings still have the ability to scare modern pianists."[1] The contemporary jazz pianist and educator, Kenny Barron, once said "I have every record [Tatum] ever made -- and I try never to listen to them . . . If I did, I'd throw up my hands and give up!"
Biography
Tatum was born in Toledo, Ohio. From birth he suffered from cataracts which left him blind in one eye, and with only very limited vision in the other. He played piano from his youth, and played professionally in Ohio and especially the Cleveland area before moving to New York City in 1932.
He learned to play by copying recordings his mother owned, playing by ear by the age of three. By the age of 6 he was able to play songs originally performed as duets, unaware that there was supposed to be two players, hence developing his incredible hand speed, without losing any of his accuracy.
Tatum drew inspiration from his contemporaries James P. Johnson and Fats Waller, who exemplified stride piano style. From that foundation, Tatum made a quantum leap in terms of technique and theory, and honed a new style that would greatly influence later jazz pianists, such as Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson and Chick Corea.
Unusually for a jazz musician, Tatum rarely abandoned the original melodic lines of the songs he played, preferring instead to feature innovative reharmonization (changing the chord progressions supporting the melodies). Tatum's harmonic concepts were well ahead of their time in the 1930s and would be explored by bebop era musicians 20 years later. He also had a penchant for filling spaces within melodies with trademark runs and embellishments, which some critics considered gratuitous and "unjazzlike." In fairness, the notes and phrases within those embellishments made genuine musical statements appreciable by jazz and classical audiences alike, and Tatum's fans consider the pyrotechnics a vital component of his music.
Tatum tended to record unaccompanied, partly because relatively few musicians could keep up with his lightning-fast tempos and advanced harmonic vocabulary. He formed a trio during the early 1940s with bassist Slam Stewart and guitarist Tiny Grimes. During their short period of time together, they recorded a number of 78 rpm discs that feature marvelous interplay among the musicians and are unique to this day.
But Tatum's solo piano recordings are his greatest legacy. With repertoire drawn mainly from the Great American Songbook, Tatum displayed effortless technical brilliance and prodigious memory in creating a library of piano masterpieces. Tatum's ability to imagine and execute complex and ingenious ideas in rapid-fire fashion is unparalleled in recorded music. Listening to Tatum can be both thrilling and demanding because of the sheer onslaught of ideas, harmonic detours and extravagant ornamentation.
Unlike jazz greats Louie Armstrong or Miles Davis or John Coltrane, each of whom spawned a school of devotees emulating the master, there emerged no school of Tatum clones -- perhaps because his playing was so difficult to copy. As a result, while very influential in the jazz world, Tatum is practically unknown to the general public today.
Tatum's contemporaries recognized his prowess, however. When he walked into a club where Fats Waller was playing, Waller stepped away from the piano bench to make way for Tatum, announcing, "I only play the piano, but tonight God is in the house". In addition, Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, after hearing Tatum play, claimed he was the greatest piano player in any style. Other luminaries of the day such as Vladimir Horowitz, Arthur Rubenstein and George Gershwin marveled at Tatum's genius. And legendary saxophonist Charlie Parker (who helped develop bebop) was highly influenced by Tatum. When newly arrived in New York, Parker briefly worked as a dishwasher in a Manhattan restaurant where Tatum happened to be performing, and often listened to the legendary pianist. Unfortunately, the two icons never played together.
Tatum recorded commercially from 1932 until near his death, though the predominantly solo nature of his skills meant that recording opportunities were somewhat intermittent. Tatum recorded for Decca (1934-41), Capitol (1949, 1952) and for the labels associated with Norman Granz (1953-56). For Granz, he recorded an extended series of solo albums and group recordings with, among others, Ben Webster, Buddy DeFranco, Benny Carter and Lionel Hampton.
Although Tatum refrained from classifying himself as a classical pianist, he adapted several classical works into new arrangements that showcased his own musical style.
Only a small amount of film showing Art Tatum playing exists today as the vast majority has been lost (several minutes of professionally shot archival footage can, for example, be found in the video documentary Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues). Tatum appeared on Steve Allen's Tonight Show in the early 1950s, and on other television shows from this era. Unfortunately, all of the kinescopes of the Allen shows, which were stored in a warehouse along with other now defunct shows, were thrown into a local rubbish dump to make room for new studios. However, the soundtracks were recorded off-air by Tatum enthusiasts at the time, and many are included in Storyville Records extensive series of rare Tatum recordings.
The surviving film shows a pianist who performed with quiet body language and relaxed confidence, while his hands fluttered expertly up and down the keyboard.
Art Tatum died in Los Angeles, California from the complications of uremia (as a result of kidney failure), having indulged in excessive beer drinking since his teenage years. He is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Tatum posthumously received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989.
Biographies
James Lester (1994) Too Marvelous for Words: The Life and Genius of Art Tatum, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-509640-1
pages
http://www.duke.edu/~njh3/biography.html