The Art of Jazz Piano [Video]

Art Tatum

Overview

As the most brilliant jazz pianist who ever lived, hands-down (by any standard), Art Tatum (1909-1956) lifted the genre to a new plateau - playing at speeds literally undreamt of, segueing effortlessly between swing, stride and boogie-woogie, and lapsing into the most fantastic melodic variations and inventions that anyone had heard up through that time. For various reasons, biographical documentaries on Tatum have been surprisingly scant, but Art Tatum: The Art of Jazz Piano marks one of the few exceptions. The program relays the high points of the pianist's life and times, discusses his litany of musical accomplishments and his reinvention of jazz as a form, and draws on interviews with giants including Marian McPartland, Les Paul and Dick Hyman.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/05/2008
UPC:	0820680105396
Original Release:	2008
Source:	Screen Edge
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:00:00
Sales rank:	55,642

Special Features

St. Louis Blues, Tiger Rag, LaRocca & DeCosta, Ain't Misbehavin', Sweet Lorraine, Strange As It Seems, Rosetta, Aunt Hagar's Blues, I Got Rhythm, Humoresque, Toledo Blues, My Ideal ; ; Plus Film Clips:; Tiny's Exercise, Yesterdays, Blue Monk, Hothouse

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Art Tatum

Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Editorial Reviews

Owing perhaps in part to the scarcity of performance footage and interviews (even audio-only) with legendary jazz pianist Art Tatum, this hour-long documentary (originally produced for television in 1988) is a modest affair that relies heavily on still photographs and interviews with musicians influenced by Tatum. Within those limits, it's a decent enough overview of Tatum's style and impact, though not a place to get the comprehensive story behind his performing and recording career. At least there's plenty of original Tatum music on the soundtrack, interspersed with some interviews with a few major musicians (guitarist Les Paul, pianists Hank Jones and Dick Hyman), Fats Waller's son Maurice Waller, and younger brother Karl Tatum. There are also, fortunately, a few brief actual clips of Tatum performing that show his amazing piano style, as well as some clips of other jazz giants he influenced (Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Parker, and Fats Waller). The interviews tend to focus on the particulars of Tatum's technique, and only bare outlines of his upbringing, visual disability, and career as a jazz star are noted. For those you'll have to go to printed sources, but for what this is, it's a respectful portrait of a jazz legend that does convey the essence of his music and significance. ~ Richie Unterberger