This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Maybe it’s because most of the big-name pop and rock acts are hibernating. Maybe it’s because I spent the last month swinging to the Rat Pack Christmas album. Or maybe it’s just because they both start with the letters J and A. Whatever. All I know is I always seem to listen to a lot of jazz in January. Looks like this year is no exception — thanks mainly to a cornucopia of cool titles that landed in stores before the holidays. At least four respected labels — Blue Note, ECM, Impulse and Verve — have impressive and affordable new retrospectives or reissues on the racks right now. Even if you don’t know be-bop from doo-wop, I suggest you give one or two a try. Here’s a little primer to help you get into the swing on Art Tatum:
WHO: One of jazz’s first piano superstars, Tatum was also one of its most gifted, able to play stunningly fast and precisely with both hands — not bad for an essentially self-taught musician who was born nearly blind.
WHEN: Tatum’s recording career began in the ’30s and continued until his premature death from uremia in 1956, when he was just 47.
WHAT YOU GET: A decent overview of his career, beginning with 1934’s ragtime-flavoured The Shout and ending with 1952’s swell Indiana, featuring Tatum’s trio. For those who want to freak out ivory-tickling friends, I recommend the hyperspeed magnificence of Elegie from 1940, which sounds like at least two guys working the keys after several pots of espresso.
WHERE HE FITS IN: Among the fastest guns in the west.
