Art Tatum
Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever. From early in his career, fellow musicians acclaimed Tatum's technical ability as extraordinary. Tatum also extended jazz piano's vocabulary and boundaries far beyond his initial stride influences, and established new ground through innovative use of reharmonization, voicing, and bitonality. Tatum grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where he began playing piano professionally and had his own radio program, rebroadcast nationwide, while still in his teens. He left Toledo in 1932 and had residencies as a solo pianist at clubs in major urban centers including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. In that decade, he settled into a pattern he followed for most of his career – paid performances followed by long after-hours playing, all accompanied by prodigious consumption of alcohol. He was said to be more spontaneous and creative in such venues, and although the drinking did not hinder his playing, it did damage his health. In the 1940s, Tatum led a commercially successful trio for a short time and began playing in more formal jazz concert settings, including at Norman Granz-produced Jazz at the Philharmonic events. His popularity diminished towards the end of the decade, as he continued to play in his own style, ignoring the rise of bebop. Granz recorded Tatum extensively in solo and small group formats in the mid-1950s, with the last session only two months before Tatum's death from uremia at the age of 47. |
Birth and Death Data: Born October 13, 1909 (Toledo), Died November 5, 1956 (Los Angeles)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1934 - 1947
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, celeste
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | D7VB-0074 | 10-in. | 1/20/1947 | (When your heart's on fire) smoke gets in your eyes | Art Tatum | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | D7VB-0075 | 10-in. | 1/20/1947 | Ain't misbehavin' | Art Tatum | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | D7VB-0077 | 10-in. | 1/20/1947 | Cherokee | Art Tatum | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
Decca | 38387 | 10-in. | 8/22/1934 | Moonglow | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 38388 | 10-in. | 8/22/1934 | I would do anything for you | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 38389 | 10-in. | 8/22/1934 | When a woman loves a man | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 38390 | 10-in. | 8/22/1934 | Emaline | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 38391 | 10-in. | 8/22/1934 | Love me | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 38392 | 10-in. | 8/22/1934 | Cocktails for two | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 38426 | 10-in. | 8/24/1934 | After you've gone | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 38427 | 10-in. | 8/24/1934 | Stardust | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 38428 | 10-in. | 8/24/1934 | I ain't got nobody | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 38429 | 10-in. | 8/24/1934 | Ill wind | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 38430 | 10-in. | 8/24/1934 | The shout | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 38431 | 10-in. | 8/24/1934 | Beautiful love | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 38432 | 10-in. | 8/24/1934 | Liza | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 62822 | 10-in. | 11/29/1937 | Gone with the wind | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 62823 | 10-in. | 11/29/1937 | Stormy weather | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 62824 | 10-in. | 11/29/1937 | Chloe | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 62825 | 10-in. | 11/29/1937 | The Sheik of Araby | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 68605 | 10-in. | 1/21/1941 | Wee baby blues | Art Tatum and his Band | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 68606 | 10-in. | 1/21/1941 | Stompin' at the Savoy | Art Tatum and his Band | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 68607 | 10-in. | 1/21/1941 | Last goodbye blues | Art Tatum and his Band | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 68608 | 10-in. | 1/21/1941 | Battery bounce | Art Tatum and his Band | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 69356 | 10-in. | 6/13/1941 | Lucille | Art Tatum and his Band | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 69357 | 10-in. | 6/13/1941 | Rock me Mama | Art Tatum and his Band | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 69358 | 10-in. | 6/13/1941 | Corrine, Corrina | Art Tatum and his Band | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | 69359 | 10-in. | 6/13/1941 | Lonesome graveyard blues | Art Tatum and his Band | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | C 90541 | 10-in. | 12/21/1935 | Take me back to my boots and saddle | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 724 | 10-in. | 2/26/1937 | Body and soul | Art Tatum and his Swingsters | instrumentalist, piano, celeste | ||
Decca | DLA 725 | 10-in. | 2/26/1937 | With plenty of money and you | Art Tatum and his Swingsters | instrumentalist, piano, celeste | ||
Decca | DLA 726 | 10-in. | 2/26/1937 | What will I tell my heart? | Art Tatum and his Swingsters | instrumentalist, piano, celeste | ||
Decca | DLA 727 | 10-in. | 2/26/1937 | I've got my love to keep me warm | Art Tatum and his Swingsters | instrumentalist, piano, celeste | ||
Decca | DLA 1759 | 10-in. | 4/12/1939 | Tea for two | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 1760 | 10-in. | 4/12/1939 | Deep purple | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 1936 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Elegie (Massenet) | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 1937 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Humoresque (Dvorak) | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 1938 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Sweet Lorraine | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 1939 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Get happy | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 1940 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Lullaby of the leaves | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 1941 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Tiger rag | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 1942 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Sweet Emaline, my gal | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 1943 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Ernaline | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 1944 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Moonglow | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 1945 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Love me | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 1946 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Cocktails for two | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 2068 | 10-in. | 7/26/1940 | Saint Louis blues | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 2069 | 10-in. | 7/26/1940 | Begin the beguine | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 2070 | 10-in. | 7/26/1940 | Rosetta | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | DLA 2071 | 10-in. | 7/26/1940 | (Back home again in) Indiana | Art Tatum | instrumentalist, piano | ||
Decca | WN 1360 | 1/5/1944 | I got rhythm | Art Tatum Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | WN 1361 | 1/5/1944 | Cocktails for two | Art Tatum Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | WN 1362 | 1/5/1944 | I ain't got nobody | Art Tatum Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | WN 1363 | 1/5/1944 | After you've gone | Art Tatum Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | WN 1364 | 1/5/1944 | Moonglow | Art Tatum Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | WN 1365 | 1/5/1944 | Deep purple | Art Tatum Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | WN 1366 | 1/5/1944 | I would do anything for you | Art Tatum Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | WN 1367 | 1/5/1944 | Liza | Art Tatum Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | WN 1368 | 1/5/1944 | Tea for two | Art Tatum Trio | instrumentalist, piano | |||
Decca | WN 1369 | 1/5/1944 | Honeysuckle rose | Art Tatum Trio | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Tatum, Art," accessed October 5, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/104444.
Tatum, Art. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 5, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/104444.
"Tatum, Art." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 5 October 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Art Tatum
Discogs: Art Tatum
Allmusic: Art Tatum
Apple Music: Art Tatum
Grove: Art Tatum
IMSLP: Art Tatum
IMDb: Art Tatum
Britannica: Art Tatum
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Tatum, Art, 1909-1956 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84005894
Wikidata: Art Tatum - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q109053
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/87694807
MusicBrainz: Art Tatum - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/e073f6af-d696-4340-b847-e81fabc4d55b
ISNI: 0000 0001 0922 3866 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000109223866
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.