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.
Thanks for comment! I still think that Ebony Concerto is just about the best example of a famous midcentury composer writing something in direct response to jazz.
My own favorite is Ravel's piano concerto for the left hand, which to be sure is only jazz-inflected. I think the Ravel deliberately evokes the tragedies of war. In contrast, and probably not quoting quite accurately here: Stravinsky writes or (with Craft) says somewhere that music is powerless to express anything at all, which his own work certainly belies (perhaps less so in the Ebony Concerto).
He also says, in the same paragraphs as his praise of Tatum/Parker/Christian, that jazz does not have rhythm; instead, it has the beat. What is he thinking? (i.e., about rhythm). Perhaps ritard / a tempo in Chopin, or the dramatic dynamic changes at the start of Beethoven's 7th Symphony? His own heavily accented syncopations in Le Sacre du printemps, or Bartók's in the second movement of the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta? I can only speculate.
I see you were far ahead of me (in both time and accuracy) in citing Stravinsky's words. A stimulating post, your old one, that might inspire me to seek out some of the recordings you mention. It brought to mind some old memories: a friend in college, introducing me to Mahler, commenting that movie music had quite adopted that composer's methods; and Arthur Rubenstein's early memoir, MY YOUNG YEARS, where he speaks of pedaling during concert performances to cover uncertainty or difficulty. Apologies for commenting here on your post back there.
I had the pleasure just a couple of weeks ago of hearing Conrad Tao play, as an encore, his transcription of Tatum's recording of "Over the Rainbow." This was fitting, of course, since he was on the bill playing Beethoven with the Kansas City Symphony. But it was astounding to watch/hear him. (I see he has done it elsewhere.) And it sent me running back to a Tatum double-LP I hadn't listened to in quite awhile. Thanks for posting the video.
Right on. I didn't know Tao was playing Tatum but I saw Yuja Wang play Tatum "Tea for Two" and recently wrote about Daniil Trifonov's recording of Tatum "I Cover the Waterfront." Again, I'm speculating, but I wonder if they would have been doing all this without seeing the YouTube video...! Thanks for comment.
The 25-page chapter on Tatum, including quite a few transcriptions, in Gunther Schuller's magisterial THE SWING ERA, provides a good overview of Tatum's strengths & weaknesses as a jazz artist. I can't summarize it here other than in misleading tidbits, and I won't bother. It's hard for me to dispute the various thrusts of Schuller's argument.. Schuller does note how Tatum's musicality grew in his later years. I prefer those later recordings.
So for those late Tatum recordings: does one prefer the home recordings at Ray Heindorf's house, or studio recordings produced by Norman Granz? The former have barely discernable imperfections perhaps attributable to the host's satisfaction of Tatum's penchant for alcohol, imperfections which (again perhaps) give the music a bit more spontaneity, vitality. The latter are a beautiful perfection. For the first Smithsonian Anthology of Classic Jazz, Martin Williams chose, from the home sessions, "Too Marvelous for Words," also the quite justifiable title of an excellent biography of Tatum.
well I think we might see Gunther I little differently. I am glad THE SWING ERA is there but find many of his pronouncements too Olympian. While I am sure Tatum matured as an artist, the very early Tatum "Tiger Rag" is also a milestone in the history of piano music. Gunther also criticizes James P. Johnson as not a good blues player, a troubling reproach. At my old site Darcy James Argue takes Gunther head on on the topic of Ellington: https://ethaniverson.com/guest-posts/misunderstanding-in-blue-by-darcy-james-argue/
I’m extremely partial to the Heindorf house recordings. As a non-musician, I’m not terribly interested in analysis of why Tatum is this or that, although I respect the effort for those who find these perspectives illuminating. I luxuriate in the atmosphere of the Heindorf house recordings, made at two parties, five years apart. The house party strikes me as the ideal atmosphere for Tatum’s spontaneous genius, preferable to the more rarified environs of the studio or even a concert stage. Anecdotally, almost 30 years ago when I was the head of Verve at the close of the Polygram era, we released a “complete” version of the Heindorf house recordings, 20th Century Piano Genius, on two CDs. That collection was reviewed in the Sunday New York Times and we experienced a huge surge in sales, which put Art Tatum at the very top of the Billboard Jazz chart. Now, relatively speaking, Jazz sales chart numbers were not that exciting, but it was very cool to see Art up there, however briefly.
Hi Chuck! Love the anecdote and thank you for your service in re: Mr. Tatum. I love all of Tatum, including the Heindorf house records, but for even more unfettered Tatum the Onyx LP GOD IS IN THE HOUSE is even more unbelievable. All that said, my first thought of a single Tatum to take to a desert Island is the studio Capitol anthology with "Aunt Hagar's Blues." Good fucking grief.
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.
Thanks for comment! I still think that Ebony Concerto is just about the best example of a famous midcentury composer writing something in direct response to jazz.
My own favorite is Ravel's piano concerto for the left hand, which to be sure is only jazz-inflected. I think the Ravel deliberately evokes the tragedies of war. In contrast, and probably not quoting quite accurately here: Stravinsky writes or (with Craft) says somewhere that music is powerless to express anything at all, which his own work certainly belies (perhaps less so in the Ebony Concerto).
He also says, in the same paragraphs as his praise of Tatum/Parker/Christian, that jazz does not have rhythm; instead, it has the beat. What is he thinking? (i.e., about rhythm). Perhaps ritard / a tempo in Chopin, or the dramatic dynamic changes at the start of Beethoven's 7th Symphony? His own heavily accented syncopations in Le Sacre du printemps, or Bartók's in the second movement of the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta? I can only speculate.
Nice comments. I go into all this a bit towards the end of an old post, beginning with the sentence "However, the question of “groove” is never really addressed in Stravinsky literature." https://ethaniverson.com/sonatas-and-etudes/mixed-meter-mysterium/
I see you were far ahead of me (in both time and accuracy) in citing Stravinsky's words. A stimulating post, your old one, that might inspire me to seek out some of the recordings you mention. It brought to mind some old memories: a friend in college, introducing me to Mahler, commenting that movie music had quite adopted that composer's methods; and Arthur Rubenstein's early memoir, MY YOUNG YEARS, where he speaks of pedaling during concert performances to cover uncertainty or difficulty. Apologies for commenting here on your post back there.
thanks for reading and engaging! All I ask for, really!
Incredible.
I had the pleasure just a couple of weeks ago of hearing Conrad Tao play, as an encore, his transcription of Tatum's recording of "Over the Rainbow." This was fitting, of course, since he was on the bill playing Beethoven with the Kansas City Symphony. But it was astounding to watch/hear him. (I see he has done it elsewhere.) And it sent me running back to a Tatum double-LP I hadn't listened to in quite awhile. Thanks for posting the video.
Right on. I didn't know Tao was playing Tatum but I saw Yuja Wang play Tatum "Tea for Two" and recently wrote about Daniil Trifonov's recording of Tatum "I Cover the Waterfront." Again, I'm speculating, but I wonder if they would have been doing all this without seeing the YouTube video...! Thanks for comment.
Sheeyert!
I have no great love but endless admiration for Tatum's playing. The facility, the control is just staggering. And it's all so easy, unforced.
His stunt piano beats Steve Vai's stunt guitar every time.
(Is that harsh?)
I had no idea there were Tatum doubters
Well, Keith Jarrett for one! LOL. In my interview:
EI: Art Tatum?
KJ: Too many notes.
EI: Really? Too many notes?
KJ: Yeah. Too many notes too often.
EI: Great time, though.
KJ: Good time, yeah. But that’s my response.
From https://ethaniverson.com/interviews/interview-with-keith-jarrett/
Hello Pot, meet Kettle.
The 25-page chapter on Tatum, including quite a few transcriptions, in Gunther Schuller's magisterial THE SWING ERA, provides a good overview of Tatum's strengths & weaknesses as a jazz artist. I can't summarize it here other than in misleading tidbits, and I won't bother. It's hard for me to dispute the various thrusts of Schuller's argument.. Schuller does note how Tatum's musicality grew in his later years. I prefer those later recordings.
So for those late Tatum recordings: does one prefer the home recordings at Ray Heindorf's house, or studio recordings produced by Norman Granz? The former have barely discernable imperfections perhaps attributable to the host's satisfaction of Tatum's penchant for alcohol, imperfections which (again perhaps) give the music a bit more spontaneity, vitality. The latter are a beautiful perfection. For the first Smithsonian Anthology of Classic Jazz, Martin Williams chose, from the home sessions, "Too Marvelous for Words," also the quite justifiable title of an excellent biography of Tatum.
well I think we might see Gunther I little differently. I am glad THE SWING ERA is there but find many of his pronouncements too Olympian. While I am sure Tatum matured as an artist, the very early Tatum "Tiger Rag" is also a milestone in the history of piano music. Gunther also criticizes James P. Johnson as not a good blues player, a troubling reproach. At my old site Darcy James Argue takes Gunther head on on the topic of Ellington: https://ethaniverson.com/guest-posts/misunderstanding-in-blue-by-darcy-james-argue/
I’m extremely partial to the Heindorf house recordings. As a non-musician, I’m not terribly interested in analysis of why Tatum is this or that, although I respect the effort for those who find these perspectives illuminating. I luxuriate in the atmosphere of the Heindorf house recordings, made at two parties, five years apart. The house party strikes me as the ideal atmosphere for Tatum’s spontaneous genius, preferable to the more rarified environs of the studio or even a concert stage. Anecdotally, almost 30 years ago when I was the head of Verve at the close of the Polygram era, we released a “complete” version of the Heindorf house recordings, 20th Century Piano Genius, on two CDs. That collection was reviewed in the Sunday New York Times and we experienced a huge surge in sales, which put Art Tatum at the very top of the Billboard Jazz chart. Now, relatively speaking, Jazz sales chart numbers were not that exciting, but it was very cool to see Art up there, however briefly.
Hi Chuck! Love the anecdote and thank you for your service in re: Mr. Tatum. I love all of Tatum, including the Heindorf house records, but for even more unfettered Tatum the Onyx LP GOD IS IN THE HOUSE is even more unbelievable. All that said, my first thought of a single Tatum to take to a desert Island is the studio Capitol anthology with "Aunt Hagar's Blues." Good fucking grief.
Ahh…forgot about GIITH (how could I have, it’s one of my most treasured LPs) and you are absolutely right about both. Tatum is endless and eternal!