The Legendary Art Tatum (Tinys Excercise)

FACT#1: Art Tatum was completely blind in his left eye and had severe cataracts (blurred/cloudy vision) in his right eye.

FACT#2: When Tatum walked into a club where Fats Waller was playing, Waller stepped away from the piano bench to make way for Tatum, announcing, "I only play the piano, but tonight God is in the house".

FACT#3: After hearing Art Tatum play, Oscar Peterson was so intimidated by what he heard that he did not touch the piano for over a week.

FACT#4: Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, after hearing Tatum play, claimed he was the greatest piano player in any style.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Art
• Tatum
• jazz
• piano
• trio
• legendary
• improvisation
• uk
• rare

[mymusicdiscovery]

Is that Tiny Grimes at gtr?

[shelim23]

Yeah thats him-he made this tune.

[LatePianist]

What he understood harmonically, is beyond us mortals. A true God of the piano. Thanks for this footage. I think I remember seeing this in a documentary of Oscar Peterson, the only other man worthy to be mentioned in the same breathe as Tatum.

[shelim23]

True masters!! Art Tatum > Oscar Peterson > and don't forget the self taught and highly original and extremely stylistic-Errol Garner!! don't forget our classic-style master composers Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Franz Liszt just to mention a few!

[contron]

Sweet. I really like the facts that accompany the video, especially #2! He is really an amazing player, never heard of him till this very evening! Wish there was more footage.

[shelim23]

me too!

[Dolphidood]

He always played something new out of the blue and that is nothing compared to the other things that he would do.

[blubblubcat]

nah, blind in one eye, severe cataracts in the other.

[TheFlamingNuns]

he could supposedly read braille music

[mwhite36]

The name of the tune is "Tiny's Exercise".

[callenishss]

rach and horowitz both commented grandly on tatum

[BlueinGreen2]

I swear he was not totally blind and could just about see in one eye or something. Not that it makes any difference...

[Mainejazzmusic]

...someone innocently asked me, since I knew jazz history a little and had finished the one biography on him, "could Art Tatum read music?" Well... I accepted the question nicely and gave a shrug, I guess not too much, since he was blind he couldn't see it.