ART TATUM (The greatest pianist you might have heard) Jazz History #25 

You forgot to mention that Rachmaninoff (who loved jazz) said "if Art Tatum played classical music we'd all be in trouble"

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."

The ultimate master. Charlie Parker was a fan.

Definitely the greatest. Agreed 10000%

Vladimir Horowitz and Sergei Rachmaninoff, no small judges of talent, were in awe of Tatum.

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 ...

When I hear Art Tatum play the single word “how?” comes repeatedly to mind.

Tatum the greatest of the greatest musician of all time".....

irripetibile Tatum ❤

Art Tatum was the Frederick Chopin of American Jazz.

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 word 'genius' is often overused, but not in Art Tatum's case!

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!

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.

I'm a classical pianist. I don't understand jazz much. Jazz pianists are a different world! Very impressive.

Monk and other pianists I listen to for ideas. Tatum I listen to just for the awe and wonder.

Great big luscious chords that flow into your brain through your ears! A master! Better than the best!

The kind of bio that every great genius deserves...

Jazz piano GOAT.

The really meaning of a pianist.😢 listen to the last recording of him playing in this video😭

His cover of Tiger Rag is absolutely amazing

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.

wow how did they even transcribe that? thats a small wonder in itself

art tatum was way over everybodys head, no matter the instrument..nobody is even close..

I'd heard of Art, but never listened to any of his work. Holy cow... I'm completely gobsmacked.

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 RU-vid, 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.

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.

I hear Tea for Two now for “my first time.”

Art Tatum was definitely a virtuostic cut above the rest. Pure talent and genius ❤

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 ...

Art Tatum is the greatest jazz piano player at all times!!!!

too marvelous for words!

I’ve never heard the piano played quite that exquisitely. Thank you for posting some of the work of this incomparable talent. Astonishing!

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.

A stellar GENIUS!

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!

Wow his playing is mesmerizing

Yeah surely a genius and exemplary character during a very very rough time for His beautiful color in America! Bless him in jazz heaven.

In the opening chords of Tiger Rag is was doing Debussy. After that, it got crazy.

An amazing pianist!

his harmony was amazing too . like rach...

Imagine him teaching you piano

No more words : just listen

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...

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." ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KJ7OLTl-HRE.html

One of the best❤

All the things I still think of him after 25 years with music and the music industry. Nothing like Taboo on earth.

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).

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!

These quotes are so incredible. Because each one are masters, and masters are in total awe. Rare quote from Bird

That Tiger Rag -- off the chain!@!__🎹

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.

Absolutely incredible. Nobody can touch him. Oscar.... maybe.

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..

I would loved to have been able to hear Tatum in a duet with Yuja Wang...

His flat-fingered approach reminds me of Vladimir Horowitz. Amazing how both made that work.

What a wonderful Video!!! Great topic! Thanks for highlighting one of the greatest!

Having Art's trio with Buddy Rich, we can see why Buddy kept firing bass players who couldn't keep that driving beat.

I love music and have a pretty good ear. I have no Idea how this man did this. I feel like an infant.

He could do an entire concert and entertain people with just the genius of his LEFT HAND virtuosity....🎹🎼🎹

Wow that is so awesome, just wow man ❤

Genius

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.

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.

he's the Liszt of the XX century

Thank you for this priceless document.

This is a great video compilation of his work and I enjoyed it very much. Thanks Chase 😊

Art

Thank you very much from france for this video , i discover Art Tatum

Great video and very informative!

Thank you so much for this info!

watching Art Tatum is like watching a bird... too fast to really see, but always beautiful

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

Some musicians, including Les Paul and Everett Barksdale, stopped playing the piano and switched to another instrument after hearing Tatum.

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.

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.

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.

6:56 astonishing!

Sometimes when I listen to an Art Tatum record, I wonder if I'm accidentally playing a 33 on 45rpm 😂

🙂..Dorothy Donegan...play.like.that too.🙏❤

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.

When I hear that 1933 recording of Tiger Rag I can only sum it up with two words - HOLY SHIT!

Humans feel that they have a capacity for genius. We are all looking for that supplement that will unlock this genius.

Not only was he blind but , he never played the same thing twice it was all improvised

I looked at your channel and was surprised that you haven’t mentioned or done a video on Vince Guaraldi.

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.

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

Sound like Tom chasing Jerry my morning cartoons as a child

Like Martha Argerich, impossibly good. That would have been quite a cutting contest, had they played together.

music starts at 4.23

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.

Art and Franz Liszt would have been great friends!

The problem with the great Tatum is he plays everything all at once!

I need to go and lie down after Tiger Rag Thank God I'm not a pianist.

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.

Greatest piano player of the 20th century. Greatest player of all centuries. That includes Franz Liszt.

IN BOTH CLASSICAL AND JAZZ PERFORMANCES, SHOULD THE GOAL BE TO PLAY THE MOST FAST? A LITTLE BREATHING SPACE CAN BE VERY GOOD AS WELL.

what's all the fuss about that Tiger Rag? that's just what Tom chasing Jerry sounds like.

Okay simplifying Tatum's playing to playing all the Black keys over the piano and I'm not quite sure what That's about

Tea for 20 not 2