Sometimes, you forget what true artistry sounds like.
This three disc set from Resonance Records has three hours of piano majesty delivered by Art Tatum, who essentially defined swing piano. At times sounding like two and even three players at once, Tatum created a mixture of baroque lyricism and a tsunami of notes perfectly meshed to inspire artists including Artur Toscanini, who would come to hear Tatum perform.
Tatum was best known for his solo recording, which were kind of a gauntlet thrown to aspiring pianist, but when these recordings were made in 1953 in Chicago with Everett Burksdale/g and Slam Stewart/b, he was on the cusp of recording an opus of solo and small group recordings for Norman Granz that was to change and challenge the musical landscape of jazz.
Tatum could be overwhelming in a group setting, and only a select few were able either to keep up with him or serve as a complement. Bassist Slam Stewart was up to the task in the former as his mixing of single notes and humming/bowing was a perfect match for Tatum,and Burksdale’s understated bluesy charm worked well on the latter.
The material here has all been performed by Tatum on other recordings, but that isn’t the point. The trio format, for my money, is Tatum at his best as he gets egged on by Stewart and well-framed by Burksdale, allowing for some fun side routes as on “Soft Winds”, “The Man I Love” and a rollicking “Just One Of Those Things”. Burksdale delivers some gorgeous soloing throughout, and intertwines like a Raphael tapestry with Tatum on tunes like “Where Or When” and “Memories of You” and bops with single note runs for “On The Sunny Side Of The Street”. Tatum is in a rococo mood for “Tenderly” and “Out of Nowhere” and delves into a few obscurities with “Judy” and “ If” as well as a nice “ The Kerry Dance” with Tatum’s left hand doing a jig. Tatum’s charm is that he can squeeze the most out of a ballad as on “These Foolish Things” while charging forth like a locomotive on “ St. Louis Blues” and able to “wow” the ears as on his solo rendition of “Humoresque or “Someone to Watch Over Me”.
“Humoresque” with Tatum’s hands shifting gears like a Maserati.
There’s a reason that Randy Weston would start each day listening to Tatum and Muhal Richard Abrams had Tatum’s music on his answering machine. This is music for the ages and inspiration. He’s got about 100 albums out there, and if you’re uninitiated, this is an excellent place to start having your life changed for the better.