LearnJazzPiano.com archives: "Ladies and gentlemen, God is in the house..."
elvis79 -- 10/02/2006, 13:52:21 -- #30221
This breathtaking performance leaves you paralyzed! A funny thing happened; I showed this clip to a friend of mine and he could not take his look away from the screen. I could actually see beads of perspiration developing on his forehead.

This is Art Tatum performing "Yesterdays". Footage from the Spike Jones Show (1954). Enjoy!

http://www.nic.fi/~jazzy3/emet/art_tatum-yesterdays-spike_jones_show_1954-DivX.avi

AndyD -- 10/03/2006, 08:23:38 -- #30221
This clip is also shown in a TV programme called 'Jazz Legends' (which I believe is a series) that concentrates on Fats Waller.  It happened to be shown on the Artsworld channel on Sky in the UK last week.
Most of the clips of Fats were with his dancers, singing, but there were some other outstanding clips of solo stride style(though the Tatum clip is not exactly stride) the Count, a young Duke; and two that were terrific - one of Bud Powell - I forget the tune, and one of Thelonious Monk playing Just a Giggolo that was a real eye opener.  He used not one tenth in the left, I think lots of 6ths & 7ths not using his thumb which seemed reserved for the upper chord!
  
Anyhow if you're in the UK they tend to repeat these programmes.

Andy

soypolvo -- 10/03/2006, 09:53:03 -- #30221
I found a recording in the folder ~jazzy3,
Anybody knows who are playing?

soypolvo -- 10/03/2006, 09:54:47 -- #30221
~jazzy3, is the parent directory of where you found the video.

Mike -- 10/03/2006, 15:30:38 -- #30221
and this after having drank an amount of whiskey that would have killed any of us.

Dante -- 10/03/2006, 17:32:52 -- #30221
Yes, he plays fast. Speed is everything. Whether in jazz or classical, the one who can play the fastest is usually the best. There's a classical pianist nowadays, Arcadi Volodos, who's currently regarded as one of the best ever, if not the best. One thing's for sure, no other classical pianist can play nearly as fast as him. You can play beautifully, with feelings and all, but if you can't play everything very very fast, then you haven't mastered your instrument. That's my theory.
Now, back to practicing my speed some more!

JohnDennis -- 10/04/2006, 00:47:03 -- #30221
"Fast is fine but accuracy is everything" - Wyatt Earp.

Mike -- 10/04/2006, 00:58:41 -- #30221
personally I think Keith Jarrett is the best alive and he is not the fastest.  Fast is not his thinng at all.  So I guess I do not agree.
Tommy Flanagan another of tha all time greatest was not a fast pianist ever either.

AndyD -- 10/04/2006, 04:21:09 -- #30221
I agree, Jarrett produces some beautiful music, see the youtube video of him playing Somewhere over the Rainbow.  His classical efforts are not so well regarded.
Talking of fast technique, here's a video of Cziffra (he played jazz in private) warming up. His technique is phenomenal, he sort of improvises classical stuff he knows and puts them together.  It's impressive, and yes he's only warming up, but for me, it's far from beautiful.  See what you think:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf2accwGEaU

Incidentally, Tatum's drink was Pabst blue ribbon beer, people used to buy it for him by the crate from what I've read.
I am surely one of Tatum's greatest fans, but I reckon that by the 50's his playing had lost much of the earlier beauty one can hear in many of the early 40's recordings.
His 1950's Solo Pablo Masterpieces are technically astounding, bringing together the preceding 50 years of jazz piano and showing where it was all going.  But to my mind there are few truly beautiful moments among what are really miniature virtuoso concert works.
Yet on the 40's Decca recordings I can immediatly think of at least four beautiful recordings.  Of course beauty is in the eye/ear of the beholder.  Just my opinion.

Tony Bennett heard Art Tatum one night at a Cleveland nightspot and told this anecdote:
"It was Moe's Main Street, and he was playing Danny Boy.  It was St. Patricks's Day.  The whole audience was crying.  It was the most beautiful [rendition] that I could remember...so strong I named my son Danny."

Regards

Andy

SolArt -- 10/04/2006, 04:35:15 -- #30221
Dante, just drink a pot of coffee, speed up your CDs & enjoy! Play some Chopin Etudes, etc. Speed does indeed impress people and has it's place but it depends what the point is. As background music for a beehive for example it works, but I find it otherwise is just ONE area of a well-rounded musician. Also personally it makes me nervous to play continuously fast. To play faster you have to think respectively faster, so why stress yourself out? It's more important to play beautifully with feelings; if you can accomplish this at high speeds congratulations, but this is just when needed, like for veil-like Arabesque effects. That's my angle.

jmkarns -- 10/04/2006, 12:08:12 -- #30221
Tatum playing 'Willow Weep For Me' was massive joy.  Man that guy could play!

thejaffer -- 10/06/2006, 16:00:01 -- #30221
You can play beautifully, with feelings and all, but if you can't play everything very very fast, then you haven't mastered your instrument

i assume you're joking, but you do realise that concert pianist can't move their fingers much faster than anyone else? The difference is they know (instinctively) where to put their fingers, ie. accuracy
That's what seperates a good player from a bad one.

CynBad -- 10/06/2006, 16:27:04 -- #30221
Dante, I think you're nuts.
It's not a race.  You can play something the fastest, but horribly.
And what if it's supposed to be played slowly?
You need to have EVERYTHING in your bag of tricks.
And don't forget, we are talking about ART.

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