TT 483: Art Tatum plays "Yesterdays" on video
master of masters
It’s been up for 16 years and racked up 2.2 million views.
Only a few things of Tatum on video exist, and the best is '“Yesterdays.” There are not enough superlatives in the thesaurus.
Of course, the records of our favorite musicians are great, but in some cases video might make a difference. Anecdotally, I believe this YouTube upload has changed history a little bit. Tatum doubters have recanted their criticism, and classical musicians have gotten interested in the jazz greats.
There’s one minor technical flaw, it sounds like Tatum is playing in E-flat minor, and the video makes it clear that he is in D minor.
Pierre Mendola has produced a version with corrected pitch and a transcription. (IMHO not everything is exactly right in the notation, especially certain rhythms at tempo, but it is still fun to see the glorious voicings written out.)
For a classical musician's appreciation of Tatum, see the Igor Stravinsky book with Robert Craft when he talks about going to Harlem and listening to jazz. I believe this was in the earlier 1940s. He said that the musicians who made the most impression on him were Art Tatum, Charlie Parker, and Charlie Christian.
Incredible.