[78-L] Art Tatum 100th birthday

[David Lennick]

Ellis Larkins did one of the best albums of "Hair" I ever heard, believe it or 
not. Just about every track was playable at the small FM station I programmed 
where the owner made it clear he didn't want that hippie crap on his airwaves 
(and it qualified as Canadian Content as well).

Go ahead, try and find it..it was issued by Stanyan as "Lady Sappho & The 
Satyricons". I kid you not.

While we're dumping on Tatum, let's not forget that Fats Waller supposedly said 
of him, "Ladies and gentlemen, I play piano, but God is in the house tonight."

dl

Taylor Bowie wrote:
> 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