Art Tatum: Tea for Two

Art Tatum is considered by many to be the greatest pianist in the history of jazz music, whose technical skills were unrivalled. Tatum’s unmistakable sound was the result of his prodigious speed, harmonic inventiveness, and swinging style, which featured the frequent use of thrilling cadenzas. His playing was drawn from the stride style of James P. Johnson and Fats Waller and the more modern approach of Earl Hines. When a young Oscar Peterson first heard a recording of Tatum and was told that the recording was the work of a single pianist, Peterson refused to touch a piano for a week.

Tatum was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1909. His parents were both musicians at a local Toledo church. As a child, Tatum developed cataracts and eventually lost sight in one eye completely, while being left with only partial sight in the other. Tatum was a child prodigy at the piano and learned to play by ear while listening to church hymns and music on the radio. In 1925, he began learning music and Braille at a school for the blind.

By 1933, Tatum was in New York City, and he began to make a name for himself at piano-playing competitions known as “cutting contests.” It was at one of these contests that Tatum famously out-duelled stride legends James P. Johnson, Willie “The Lion” Smith, and Fats Waller with spectacular versions of “Tea for Two” and “Tiger Rag.” While Tatum was working at the Onyx Club in March of 1933, he recorded his first four sides for the Brunswick label. For the remainder of the thirties, he toured around the Midwest and had stints in Chicago and trips out to Los Angeles before returning to New York.

In the forties, Tatum recorded with singer Big Joe Turner for Decca Records and formed a trio with guitarist Tiny Grimes and bassist Slam Stewart. By the end of the Forties, Tatum had returned to solo performing and continued solo until he died in 1956.

Any compilation of Tatum’s incredible recordings is a must-have. The best of these include “Piano Starts Here” (1968), "The Complete Capitol Recordings (Volumes 1-2)” (1989), “Classic Early Solos” (1991), “The Chronological Classics: Art Tatum 1934-1940” (1991), and “The Complete Capitol Recordings of Art Tatum" (1997).

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