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.

 

As a towering force of creative genius, Tatum possessed a level of keyboard dexterity that transcended the standard limits of human performance. His revolutionary reharmonizations and sophisticated chord substitutions completely dismantled the predictable harmonic structures of early popular music, laying down the absolute foundation for the subsequent bebop revolution. Revered by classical masters and jazz improvisers alike, Tatum redefined the solo piano format, transforming the instrument into a self-contained, multi-voiced orchestra that achieved an immortal, mythic status within American music history.

 

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: ArtTatum 1932-1934” (1991), and “The Complete Capitol Recordings of Art Tatum" (1997).

 

Essential Compilation Review: Piano Starts Here (1968) 

This landmark 1968 Columbia release serves as an indispensable historical anchor, preserving Tatum's definitive early artistic footprint. The tracking brings together his historic 1933 Brunswick solo studio sides alongside an explosive, pyrotechnic live performance captured at the Hollywood Bowl in 1949. Listening to his blindingly fast, intricate variations on "Tiger Rag" reveals the exact blueprint that left contemporary pianists utterly stunned, making it an essential entry point for evaluating his early legacy. 

• Released: 1968 (Recording Eras: 1933 & 1949) 
• Label: Columbia Records 
• Producer: Archival Assembly / Frank Driggs 
• Core Personnel: Art Tatum (Solo Piano) 
• Key Tracks: "Tiger Rag", "Tea for Two", "Sophisticated Lady" 

Essential Compilation Review: The Complete Capitol Recordings of Art Tatum (1997) 

Documenting a crucial mid-career period of pristine high-fidelity recording, this beautifully remastered collection captures Tatum operating at the absolute peak of his mature, harmonic powers. Recorded between 1949 and 1952, the tracking highlights his incredible ability to weave complex classical counterpoint seamlessly into standard popular themes. The audio space beautifully captures the subtle nuances of his touch, serving as a flawless textbook for modern jazz piano execution. 

• Released: 1997 (Recording Era: 1949–1952) 
• Label: Capitol Jazz / EMI 
• Producer: Pete Rugolo, Archival Assembly 
• Core Personnel: Art Tatum (Solo Piano / Trio), Everett Barksdale (Guitar), Slam Stewart (Bass) 
• Key Tracks: "Willow Weep for Me", "I Got Rhythm", "Aunt Hagar's Blues" 

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James P. Johnson: The Charleston

James Price Johnson was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1894. He was a ragtime-turned-stride pianist whose composition, “The Charleston,” became one of the anthems of the “Jazz Age” of the Twenties. Johnson and Jelly Roll Morton were probably the two pianists most responsible for taking ragtime music and turning it into jazz via the piano.

 

As a brilliant composer, virtuoso pianist, and unparalleled musical innovator, Johnson acted as the supreme bridge between structural ragtime and early modern jazz. Operating at the heart of the Harlem Renaissance, his revolutionary keyboard mechanics fundamentally shifted how the piano functioned within an ensemble or as a solo vehicle. By infusing rigid syncopation with liquid blues phrasing and unconstrained improvisational swing, he established a towering legacy that inspired every major jazz keyboardist of the twentieth century, permanently defining the soundtrack of the Roaring Twenties.

 

Although he started out playing ragtime music in the tradition of Scott Joplin, Johnson became the innovator of a jazz sub-genre of piano playing that was dubbed “stride.” This piano style got its name from the walking or “striding” sound produced by the pianist’s left hand. Stride piano incorporated elements of the blues, and it allowed for on-the-spot improvisation, which is an essential characteristic of jazz music. Ragtime was a rigidly composed form of music that stifled improvisation. 

A future jazz star, Fats Waller, would become Johnson’s protégé, adopt his stride style, and later expose it to the masses.

 

Johnson was a prolific composer, and he wrote some of the most familiar compositions of the Roaring Twenties. Aside from the Charleston, he penned “You’ve Got to Be Modernistic,” “If I Could Be with You One Hour Tonight,” “Carolina Shout,” “Keep Off The Grass,” and “Old Fashioned Love,” among others. In addition to jazz and pop tunes, Johnson wrote waltzes, ballets, and symphonic pieces. 

Johnson’s finest recordings can be found on a number of compilation albums, including the multi-volume "Chronological Classics: James P. Johnson" (1996) series and "Snowy Morning Blues" (1991), "Harlem Stride Piano" (1992), and "Father of Stride Piano" (2001).

 

Essential Compilation Review: Snowy Morning Blues (1991) 

This essential Decca collection stands as an indispensable historical anchor, preserving Johnson's pristine solo recordings from the late 1930s and 1940s. The tracking showcases his majestic left-hand stride patterns operating with flawless, rhythmic precision, while his right hand executes complex melodic variations. It remains a definitive audio text for listeners looking to hear his mature, post-ragtime improvisational style captured with superb clarity. 

• Released: 1991 (Recording Era: 1939–1944) 
• Label: Decca Jazz / MCA Records 
• Producer: Milt Gabler, Archival Assembly 
• Core Personnel: James P. Johnson (Solo Piano) 
• Key Tracks: "Snowy Morning Blues", "Carolina Shout", "You've Got to Be Modernistic" 

Essential Compilation Review: Harlem Stride Piano (1992) 

Documenting the explosive creative heights of the early New York jazz scene, this brilliantly curated collection aggregates Johnson's defining structural compositions. The tracking captures the exact transition point where traditional ragtime forms dissolved into the aggressive, blues-infused swing of the Harlem salons. It serves as a flawless audio blueprint for understanding how Johnson's published sheet music laid down the technical blueprint for his protégé, Fats Waller. 

• Released: 1992 (Archival Compilation) 
• Label: Jazz Archives / RCA 
• Producer: Archival Assembly 
• Core Personnel: James P. Johnson (Piano) 
• Key Tracks: "The Charleston", "Keep Off the Grass", "Harlem Strut" 

Essential Compilation Review: Father of Stride Piano (2001) 

For listeners seeking a comprehensive historical deep dive into the absolute genesis of jazz piano architecture, this retrospective release is unparalleled. Bringing together rare, beautifully remastered acoustic and early electrical session sides, the collection maps Johnson’s staggering influence across both solo tracking and small-group orchestrations. It stands as an essential, authoritative reference document that belongs in any serious American jazz library. 

• Released: 2001 (Recording Era: 1921–1939) 
• Label: Sony / Columbia River 
• Producer: Frank Driggs, Archival Assembly 
• Core Personnel: James P. Johnson (Piano), Eddie Condon (Guitar), Omer Simeon (Clarinet) 
• Key Tracks: "Carolina Shout" (1921 Version), "Bleeding Hearted Blues", "If I Could Be with You One Hour Tonight" 

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