The discovery of nearly three hours of Tatum music recorded at the Blue Note jazz club at 56 W. Madison Street in the Chicago Loop is invaluable. Towards the end of his short life, he died at 47 in 1956, Tatum’s recording sessions were not frequent, except for his work with Norman Granz. It is strange that a man who was recognised by practically every major pianist as simply without parallel should almost have been ignored.
Tatum is incomparable. It is fitting that Zev Feldman and George Klabin should have taken on the responsibility for curating and representing this new material. The music is surrounded by great materials. There is an essay by Columbia University professor and jazz scholar Brent Hayes Edwards; and remembrances and personal reminiscences from Ahmad Jamal, Sonny Rollins, Monty Alexander, Spike Wilner, Johnny O’Neal, Michael Weiss, and Terry Gibbs. All the writings are aimed at deepening the understanding of the music of the great pianist.
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The Blue Note Club has hosted the great names of jazz. Gene Ammons, Pee Wee Russell, Howard McGhee, Dave Brubeck, Louis Armstrong. It was a favourite venue for the Ellington band who usually had an extended engagement and considered the club as a home from home.
Jazz has never been sure where to place Tatum. One critic said that he had an excess of hyperbole., that he was above style, another said that if you gave him a brick, he would give you a house. Tatum is not difficult to listen to but he requires concentration. The shifting harmonies and rhythms are unusual as is the grandeur of his improvisation. The way that he incorporates stride, his understanding of chords influenced Mingus and Parker. Parker said that he wished that he could play like Tatum’s right hand. However, this is no Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro, Paul Motian trio. Tatum is totally dominant.
Tatum is criticised for being excessively ornate. He is ornate and, according to Garry Giddins, ‘he raises embellishment to a plateau as high as anyone else has ever achieved by melodic improvisation…….’these magnificent arpeggios, rums and flurries, those supersonic turnbacks and contrary figures and thumb driven bass walks aren’t ornamental: they are the nerve centre of his art the jewels in his treasure box — an embarrassment of rewards.’
Spike Wilner in the notes explains the distinctiveness of Tatum. ‘Modern players take a melody and then discard it. Tatum takes a melody and then embellishes it. He doesn’t discard it at any time. His idea was developing within the context of the tune a rubato statement and then into tempo and then improvisation which is referencing the melody not referencing the chords and then the conclusion with a beautiful ending or cadenza.
Critic Lewis Porter has made the point that Tatum had more than avant garde tendencies, he claims that if you listen closely to Tatum that you might come away with the impression — that Tatum may have been a highly experimental artist who was confined to playing popular songs because of the era in which he lived, and the style of music that he specialised in. Porter points out that there are three aspects of Tatum’s playing to note the dissonance in his chords; his advanced use of substitute chord progressions; and his occasional use of playing in two keys at the same time. Tatum instead of just introducing a melody then veering off to improvisation, he retains it and embellishes the melody.
Jack Kenny
Source : https://jazzviews.net/art-tatum-jewels-in-the-treasure-box-the-1953-chicago-blue-note-jazz-club-recordings/
Art Tatum
Jewels in the Treasure Box
The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club
Recordings
Tracks
Cd. 1
1 Night and Day (Porter) 4:03
2 Where or When (Rodgers, Hart) 5:40
3 On the Sunny Side of the Street (McHugh, Fields) 3:23
4 Don’t Blame Me (McHugh, Fields) 4:56
5 Soft Winds (Goodman, Royal) 3:27
6 These Foolish Things (Maschwitz, Strachey) 3:25
7 Flying Home (Goodman, Hampton, Robin) 1:41
8 Memories of You (Blake, Razaf) 5:33
9 What Does it Take (Burke, Van Heusen) 4:16
10 Tenderly (Gross, Lawrence) 5:14
11 Crazy Rhythm (Caesar, Meyer, Kahn) 3:21
12 The Man I Love (Gershwin, Gershwin) 5:26
13 Tea for Two (Youmans, Caesar) 3:35
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Cd. 2
1 I Cover the Waterfront (Green, Heyman) 4:39
2 Body and Soul (Green, Heyman, Sour, Eyton) 6:21
3 Laura (Mercer, Raskin) 5:42
4 Humoresque (Dvořák) 4:33
5 Begin the Beguine (Porter) 3:27
6 There Will Never Be Another You (Warren, Gordon)/September Song (Weill, Anderson) 5:04
7 Just One of Those Things (Porter) 6:03
8 Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (Barris, Koehler, Moll) 4:39
9 St. Louis Blues (Handy) 4:12
10 After You’ve Gone (Layton, Creamer) 5:23
11 Someone To Watch Over Me (Gershwin, Gershwin) 4:58
12 Elegy (Burwell, Parish) 4:15
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Cd. 3
1 Sweet Lorraine (Burwell, Parish) 4:40
2 Indiana (Dresser, Hanley) 3:02
3 Tabu (Lecuona) 2:50
4 Judy (Carmichael, Lerner) 6:05
5 Lover (Rodgers, Hart) 4:42
6 Dark Eyes (Herman, Hrebinka) 4:34
7 Stompin’ at the Savoy (Sampson) 4:35
8 If (Evans, Hargreaves, Damerell, Tisley) 5:57
9 Out of Nowhere (Green, Heyman) 3:48
10 Would You Like To Take a Walk ? (Warren, Dixon, Rose) 5:00
11 Stardust (Carmichael, Parish) 5:00
12 Air Mail Special (Goodman, Mundy, Christian) 4:12
13 I’ve Got the World on a String (Arlen, Koehler) 3:41
14 The Kerry Dance (Molloy, Lynam) 1:53
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Personnel
Art Tatum - p
Slam Stewart - b
Everett Barksdale - g
Recorded at the Blue Note Jazz Club, Chicago ; between August 16 & 28, 1953