Of all the pianists in the annals of jazz, Art Tatum is the one who is most often cited by greats of the post-war era as a key influence and inspiration. His remarkable speed, dexterity, fluency and sheer relaxed mastery of the keyboard in his prolific interpretations of the standards from the Great American Songbook set him apart from just about all of his peers.

Developing his skill despite his blindness, he astounded observers, who marvelled at his technique, often saying that he sounded like two people playing.

Tatum grew up in Ohio, where he began playing piano professionally and had his own radio programme, rebroadcast nationwide, while still in his teens. In the ’30s he had residencies as a solo pianist at clubs in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. In the 1940s, he led a 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.

Granz recorded Tatum extensively in solo and small group formats in the mid-1950s, with the last session occurring only two months before the pianist’s death at the age of 47 in 1956. This 93-track set comprises a significant proportion of his recordings from his studio debut in 1932 through to 1947. It primarily features solo recordings on the Brunswick, Decca, Asch and ARA labels as well as V-Disc recordings, plus trio and small band recordings for those labels as well as Comet, and recordings with the Barney Bigard Sextet for Black & White and other bonus offerings.

It does not purport to be a complete or definitive cross-section of this first significant era of his career, but it’s certainly a substantial showcase for one of the great piano stylists of the genre.

REVIEWS

This is another very impressive set from Acrobat with 93 tracks over four CDs and the usual exemplary discographical information contained in the lengthy and informative booklet accompanying the discs. The time span covered here is well chosen as far as I am concerned with the pianist at the peak of his creativity... Another indispensable set from Acrobat who in terms of their steady stream of compilations like this have established themselves as the main source of supply of our music. - Gerry Stonestreet (In Tune Issue 354)

This does not purport to be a complete or definitive cross-section of this significant era of his career, but it's certainly a substantial showcase for one of the great piano stylists of the genre. It is a worthy purchase and I highly recommend it. - Andy Simons (Just Jazz Issue 280)

The first thing to underline is that Tatum's amazing two-handed technical ability, absorbing everything from 'classical' to 'stride', always journeys steadily towards a destination, rather than just randomly assembling special effects. To that extent, it makes sense that he was inspired by Fats Waller and Earl Hines, as well as 'light-music exponents. THis nearly five-hour selection from a decade-and-a-half of commercial recording gives a comprehensive account of his rhythmic and harmonic daring, unsurpassed before Charile Parker. If you've never studied Tatum in depth, now is the time to start. **** Recommended - Brian Priestley (Jazzwise Issue 266)

This four-CD set gives a substantial and representative overview of the first 15 years of Tatum’s recording career. He was blessed with a phenomenal technique and enjoyed showcasing it with dazzling virtuosity in ornately embellished, supercharged stride style. Tatum's massive technique is often seen (bizarrely) as a musical handicap but any excess is perhaps a small price to pay for talent and innovation. Certainly the listener can come close to feeling overwhelmed by the sheer density of the arrangements, and the regular rippling cascades for fills. But perhaps that's a small price to pay when considering - and wondering at - his exceptional talent and innovative ideas. Widespread public popularity has perhaps eluded him, but he remains a revered musican's musician, and discussed in the detailed, informative and perceptive notes by Paul Watts ****  - Hugh Rainey (Jazz Journal August 2021)