Art Tatum - yo fave recs

SDC Legendz Pianistz
1

Aight, sup mofoz.

What be yo fave bottom drawer quality Art Tatum aka Da Tantrum recz?

Imho, pozz hiz most wikid stuff is da solo recs. Dat said, in da random ensemble performances you can hear dat da mofo never really stops soloing in da background, mo den a bit gensui.

Now, my most favorite Tatum recs

1956 Ben Webster on da Sax - My Ideal. Nuff said, this rec is off the hook.
The whole album is amazing - All the Things You Are and Gone With The Wind - are favorites good.

1940 Tiger Rag - tru, there are several recs, it got more elaborate each time - so by da time of the last rec (1940), it is just insanely good.

1935 live Lulu’s Back in Town - Diz da early Tatum style, pre-1940 he wasn’t as harmonically interesting (da mofo got better every year) - Diz rec is just INSANELY WIKID.

1947 Cherokee - once again, a classic!

1954 vid - Yesterday’s. He plays a shortened version for da TV, pretty amazing stuff. Really adventurous harmonically too, sum crazy stuff in there.
His first 1945 rec of Yesterday’s is a completely different arrangement also wonderful!

1953- all the things you are (from da solo masterpieces set) - this clearly in a later style, Tatum is enjoying da unlimited track length cause this is recorded on tape. All 8 Volumes feature some of his most m*sically adventurous playing. He was in great shape right up to his 1956 death.

1949 and 1953 - Blue Skies. Both versions are motherfuckin legendary. If I had to pick one, I’d go for da 1949 Capitol rec.

2

Not a huge Tatum fan (not much of a jazz fan in general) but Lulu is just insane.

3

I love Tatum, but I think Oscar Peterson was even more legendary.

4

Is there any SOLO Peterson stuff that I should check out?

5

I will post some good stuffs.

6

I had the chance to go and see Peterson live in Birmingham not long before he died, but regrettably missed it…

7

Damn that’s rough.

8

Yo, rezpek!

9

His playing declined significantly in the mid 80s, and again after his stroke in the early 90s. You probably didn’t miss too much.

10

Most of his recs is with da Trio tru?

11

There’s a good video of him playing solo in Switzerland (?).
I like the videos of him and Andre Previn (damn good pianist too btw) which are on youtube.

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13

But tru, as much as I like Oscar and Tatum, BILL EVANS is my #1.

14

I like some of da MONK that I’ve heard, that dude’s playing is a bit pure WTF.

15

Tru. Monk was one of a kind. His solo stuff can be very interesting. Alone in San Francisco is a classic.

16

And da round midnite is a bit WIKID

17

I have a bunch of favorite Tatum recordings (St. Louis Blues, the man I love) but he is not exactly my cup of tea. Of course, he was a god. But the pianists I can listen to everyday are others - Bill Evans above all, Bud Powell, the acoustic Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock (the 1960s) and some selected Ketith Jarrett recordings.
Cedar Walton is another underrated great, and so is Jaky Byard.

RegardingTatum, Sweet Lorraine is one of those recordings that never make me tired. There is also a video on youtube which compares all the existing versions, I recommend to listen to it.

18

Tru, that’s his most recorded standard. Like 20 recs at least, Dayum.

19

Sweet lorraine is a great song, my favourite version is the young Sinatra.