Art Tatum - 20th Century Piano Genius

For Art Tatum, the piano was a veritable playground, a forum for endless invention. His supreme command of the instrument and his unparalleled sense of timing and touch allowed him to seemingly accomplish whatever he wished. Songs were puzzles to be dismantled and reassembled; melody, harmony, and rhythm were merely variables in the never-ending creation process. This two-CD set collects all of the recordings Tatum made at two private parties hosted by Warner Bros. musical director Ray Heindorf; the bulk of the material comes from July 1955, the remainder is from April 1950. All of the trademark Tatum elements are here: the grand melodic flourishes, the harmonic magic tricks, the flirtations with various tempos and musical styles. But what also emerges is Tatum's effervescence, his joy, and his humor. He seems to celebrate and mock these timeless melodies all at once. Is that "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" hiding in "Body and Soul"? The results are always compelling and almost always thrilling to hear. You can hear his friends gasp and chuckle along with music, and you will too. --Marc Greilsamer Amazon.com

Keyboard Colossus at play

Art Tatum's virtuosity served his eloquent musical vision which comes across so well on 20th Century Piano Genius. September 22, 2008

I love Art Tatum

I own all 8 Pablo Solo Masterpiece CDs and consider those discs to contain the standard against which all other Tatum recordings should be measured against. The setting, recording, pacing, arrangements, playing; everything about those is absolutely priceless, pristine & perfect.

This 2 CD set of material from private parties is a wonderful artifact to have also. It's lovely to be able to hear Tatum in this setting even though slighly less than ideal. His ideas are brilliant as always.

I would not suggest "20th Century Piano Genius" as the CD to start with if you are new to Tatum or don't yet have any of the Pablo series. But it is a great addition to the recorded legacy of Art Tatum's beautiful genius. September 3, 2007

Genius indeed

Well, DG, it's always good to spark a discussion. Tatum's playing is very intricate and dense with notes; it is not a cool, swinging sound. I think it is beyond dispute that Tatum was one of the most technically proficient pianists who ever lived. The question is then, does all that staggering virtuosity serve a purpose? For some, hearing somebody play what almost nobody else can play is enough to justify the purchase. For others, myself included, it is beautiful music as well. For me that is an intuitive reaction-- it sounds musical and organic to me, but I am not trained to understand structural and harmonic nuance. I think DG represents a small minority of people who believe that Tatum's playing is not sophisticated or musically nuanced. I would not want a steady diet of this, but on the right day it is perfect. April 4, 2007

Piano Genius

This is a great album. I loved his two versions of Someone to watch over me and Over the Rainbow as these are two of my favorite songs. March 28, 2007

The magnificent reach

In my jazz- listening days many years ago I came upon the work of Art Tatum, and was captivated by it. I simply felt it was the best. He played with such sweep and such lyrical freedom. The great standard numbers did not lose their identity in his playing but rather were expanded and enhanced. The sweep of the playing and the great feeling of joy and freedom it gave remain in my mind.
What great music this man made. May 28, 2006

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