Art Tatum's
Top 10 Records |
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Art Tatum |
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Name: Art Tatum
| Nee: |
Arthur Tatum, Jr. |
| Born: |
13 Oct 1909 |
| Died: |
5 Nov 1956 |
| Origin: |
Toledo, Ohio, United States |
| Instruments: |
Piano |
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| Art Tatum was born into a musical family. Unfortunately he was handicapped from birth. He was blind in one eye and only partially sighted in the other. Undeterred by this, Art Tatum studied piano and learnt how to read music resulting in him turning professional in Toledo in his mid teens.
Although he played in the Speed Wenn band briefly he was mostly a soloist or played in small groups in clubs or on the radio. Adelaide Hall heard him play and took him on tour with her as her accompanist. He travelled with Hall in 1932 to New York and made his first recording in 1933. Over the next few years he played in clubs in Cleveland and Chicago, but by 1937 he was back in New York. He played in clubs and on the radio and established his name as a major figure in jazz circles.
By the early 1940's he had formed his own trio with with bass player Slam Stewart and guitarist Tiny Grimes. The trio was very popular. Art Tatum toured extensively for the next decade until he was signed up by Norman Granz in the early 1950's. Recording Art Tatum in a series of remarkable performances, both as soloist (The Solo Masterpieces) and in a small group context with Benny Carter, Buddy De Franco, Roy Eldridge, Lionel Hampton, Ben Webster and others (The Group Masterpieces). His impact on the jazz scene in the early 1930's had repercussions. Fats Waller noticed Art Tatum in the audience of at one of his concerts and declared on stage, 'God is in the house tonight'. |
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