[78-L] Art Tatum 100th birthday

[Taylor Bowie]

Thanks to Al and Julian for letting me know I'm not the only one who doesn't 
get Tatum.

I think the best piano music I ever heard played live was by Ellis Larkins 
at the Carnegie Tavern in NY...I'd take him over Tatum any day of the week.

Taylor



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "simmonssomer" <simmonssomer at comcast.net>
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 8:23 AM
Subject: Re: [78-L] Art Tatum 100th birthday


> You're not missing a thing. Those runs are intrusive and overused.
> The constant key changes are showy stuff.
> He was an incredible technician and had the talent to be a great stride or
> swing pianist.
> He was both but he was too damned busy at the keyboard .
> It intruded on the message.
>
> Al Simmons
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Taylor Bowie" <bowiebks at isomedia.com>
> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 11:56 PM
> Subject: [78-L] Art Tatum 100th birthday
>
>
>>I learned a while ago that today October 13th was the 100th anniversary of
>> the birth of Art Tatum,  so I thought that would be a  good occasion to
>> stir
>> up some trouble.
>>
>> Some people prefer traveling in something along the lines of the SST,
>> because it is fast,  sleek,  mechanicaly complex,  etc.   Gets you there
>> before you know it!
>>
>> That's all fine,  but going so fast I think you miss a lot of scenery
>> which
>> is part of what makes the trip enjoyable.
>>
>> And that's pretty much what I think of the playing of Art Tatum.  Yes, 
>> it
>> is impressive.  Yes,  he has technique to spare.  But I always get the
>> feeling that he is not so much interpreting the melody as discecting it
>> into
>> little pieces...kind of like a surgeon doing an autopsy.
>>
>> Plus,  after a while,  you can always tell where and when he will make 
>> one
>> of his little "runs" with which he likes to punctuate his playing.  I
>> never
>> experience the kind of joy or surprise in his work which I find in many
>> other players.  It seems so calculated.
>>
>> When a record of his is over...I don't feel any sense of
>> satisfaction....more like exhaustion.
>>
>> But year after year you read that he is the "greatest" piano player in
>> jazz,
>> blah blah blah.
>>
>> To me his playing  seems more like a stunt than music ...cold, clinical
>> and
>> machine like...disigned to get into the Guinness Book of Records as "most
>> piano notes played in ten seconds."
>>
>> So Tatum fans...tell me what it is I'm missing.
>>
>>
>> Taylor
>>
>>
>>
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