October 28 2010
Welcome to the first instalment of a new Pianobabbler feature, The Pianobabbler's Companion. Every Monday, the Pianobabbler writes his- as the Pianobabbler.com title puts it - Blog in the Life of a Musician. In The Pianobabbler's Companion I'll supplement the Monday post with some video, or audio or writing that unpacks, elaborates, enhances my Monday morceau.
Last Monday The Pianobabbler babbled about Jazz's Big Bang: The Night Art Tatum Arrived .
Art Tatum (1909-1956) forever changed the sound of jazz and jazz piano. In Jazz's Big Bang: The Night Art Tatum Arrived , I try to picture what one might have seen and heard in the room that 1931 night Tatum first played for the reigning names in jazz. They had gathered for a cutting contest- a friendly competition amongst pianists, where each one tried to outdo the other, and establish jazz supremacy. Tatum established his that night. No one has ever taken it back.
Below is video of Tatum playing Jerome Kern's haunting tune Yesterdays. One of the great piano performances of all time.
Tatum takes this otherwise simple tune, expands and contracts it, galvanizes it with bewitching harmonies and melody fragments, and turns it into a 2 minute ballet of propelling grace, power, intrigue and beauty.
One moment I especially love: at 1'24" Tatum plays a part-laughing, part-menacing rhythmic figure dut-dada dut-DA da, dut-dada dut-DA da. Where does the imagination that conceived this come from? Good lord.
One observation: most (not all) of what Tatum does is technically achievable by intermediate level pianists. What makes Yesterdays so difficult to play for others is the harmonic invention, melodic cascading, and sustained rhythmic pulse Tatum dispays.
Marvel and enjoy:
- Click here for the original Pianobabbler post: Jazz's Big Bang: The Night Art Tatum Arrived
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A brilliant adventure. On his latest recording, My Mother's Father's Song, Ron Davis embraces both his family's rich cultural heritage, and boldly re-engages with the jazz standard.
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