Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. He was noted for the complexity and speed of his performances, which set a new standard for jazz piano virtuosity.
Tatum drew inspiration from his contemporaries James P. Johnson and Fats Waller, and had a great influence on other famous jazz pianists, such as Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Chick Corea, and Oscar Peterson. Saxophonist Charlie Parker took his first job in New York as a dishwasher where Tatum played, just for the experience of hearing Tatum's harmonic inventions.
Tatum identified Fats Waller as his main influence, but according to pianist Teddy Wilson and saxophonist Eddie Barefield, "Art Tatum's favorite jazz piano player was Earl Hines. He used to buy all of Earl's records and would improvise on them. He'd play the record but he'd improvise over what Earl was doing ..... 'course, when you heard Art play you didn't hear nothing of anybody but Art. But he got his ideas from Earl's style of playing – but Earl never knew that."
A major event in his meteoric rise to success was his appearance at a cutting contest in 1933 at Morgan's bar in New York City that included Waller, Johnson and Willie "The Lion" Smith. Standard contest pieces included Johnson's "Harlem Strut" and "Carolina Shout" and Fats Waller's "Handful of Keys." Tatum triumphed with his arrangements of "Tea for Two" and "Tiger Rag", in a performance that was considered to be the last word in stride piano. James P. Johnson, reminiscing about Tatum's debut afterward, simply said, "When Tatum played Tea For Two that night I guess that was the first time I ever heard it really played." Tatum's debut was historic because he outplayed the elite competition and heralded the demise of the stride era. He was not challenged further until stride specialist Donald Lambert initiated a half-serious rivalry with him.
Tatum worked first around Toledo and Cleveland and then later in New York at the Onyx Club for a few months; he recorded his first four solo sides on the Brunswick label in March, 1933. He returned to Ohio and played around the American midwest - Toledo, Cleveland, Detroit, Saint Louis and Chicago - in the mid-1930s and played on the Fleischman Hour radio program hosted by Rudy Vallee in 1935. He also played stints at the Three Deuces in Chicago and in Los Angeles he played at The Trocadero, the Paramount and the Club Alabam. In 1937 he returned to New York where he appeared at clubs and played on national radio programs. The following year he embarked on the Queen Mary for England where he toured, playing for three months at Ciro's Club owned by bandleader Ambrose. In the late 1930s he returned to play and record in Los Angeles and New York.
In 1941, Tatum recorded two sessions for Decca Records with singer Big Joe Turner, the first of which included "Wee Wee Baby Blues", which attained national popularity. Two years later Tatum won Esquire Magazine's first jazz popularity poll. Perhaps believing there was a limited audience for solo piano, Tatum formed a trio in 1943 with guitarist Tiny Grimes and bassist Slam Stewart, whose perfect pitch enabled him to follow Tatum's excursions. Tatum recorded exclusively with the trio for almost two years, but abandoned the trio format in 1945 and returned to solo piano work. Although Tatum was idolized by many jazz musicians, his popularity faded in the mid to late forties with the advent of bebop - a movement which Tatum did not embrace.
The last two years of his life, Tatum regularly played at Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit, including his final public performance in April 1956. Earlier, Tatum had personally selected and purchased for Clarence Baker the Steinway piano at Baker's, finding it in a New York showroom, and shipping it to Detroit.
Tatum was widely recognized among his colleagues as the most gifted jazz pianist alive, some going so far as to say he was one of the greatest pianists of any genre. Such classical luminaries as Vladimir Horowitz and Sergei Rachmaninov greatly admired his technique. Unusually for a jazz musician, Tatum rarely abandoned the original melodic lines of the songs he played, preferring innovative reharmonization (changing the chord progressions that supported the melodies). He also had a penchant for filling spaces within melodies with his trademark runs and other embellishments, which some critics considered gratuitous and "unjazzlike."
How High the Moon
Art Tatum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How faint the tune
Somewhere there's heaven
How high the moon
There is no moon above
When love is far away too
Till it comes true
That you love me as I love you
Somewhere there's music
How near, how far
Somewhere there's heaven
It's where you are
The darkest night would shine
If you would come to me soon
Until you will, how still my heart
How high the moon
Somewhere there's music
How faint the tune
Somewhere there's heaven
How high the moon
The darkest night would shine
If you would come to me soon
Until you will, how still my heart
How high the moon
The song How High the Moon talks about the power of love and how it can lead to a state of blissful euphoria or 'heaven.' The lyrics speak of how even when there seems to be nothing but darkness and emptiness, the power of love can create a beautiful and dazzling world. The usage of the phrase 'how high the moon' seems to be a metaphorical reference to the unattainable heights that love can take us to, and how it can transport us to a state of happiness and fulfillment that is otherwise unattainable.
The first two lines of the verse convey a sense of apprehension and longing as the singer is aware that somewhere out there is music playing, but it is too faint to hear clearly. The song then goes on to talk about a world where love is far away, where the moon does not shine, and darkness prevails. However, the singer is hopeful that someday, love will come true, and their beloved will love them back. The chorus talks about the transformative power of love and how it can bridge the distance between two people, no matter how far apart they may seem.
The song slowly builds up to a beautiful crescendo as it progresses, echoing the idea that love can overcome all odds to create a beautiful world. The line 'somewhere there's heaven, it's where you are' shows that the singer considers their lover as the ultimate manifestation of happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere there's music
There is a place where music can be heard
How faint the tune
The melody is barely audible
Somewhere there's heaven
There is a place of perfect happiness
How high the moon
The happiness is beyond measure
There is no moon above
The sky is dark and bleak
When love is far away too
When the feeling of love is absent
Till it comes true
Until the feeling returns
That you love me as I love you
For reciprocated feelings between two people
Somewhere there's music
There is a place where music can be heard
How near, how far
The distance to the place is unknown
Somewhere there's heaven
There is a place of perfect happiness
It's where you are
The place is wherever the person you love is
The darkest night would shine
Even the darkest situations can be brightened
If you would come to me soon
If the person you love would return soon
Until you will, how still my heart
Until that happens, your heart is still and longing
How high the moon
The happiness is beyond measure
Somewhere there's music
There is a place where music can be heard
How faint the tune
The melody is barely audible
Somewhere there's heaven
There is a place of perfect happiness
How high the moon
The happiness is beyond measure
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MORGAN LEWIS, NANCY HAMILTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@michigan21
I can't believe there isn't over a million views. Art Tatum was a master.
@shenalec927
You're right! He is just divine, while Oscar Peterson is only a horrible potato.
@andraszempleni1503
@@shenalec927 Peterson revered Tatum. And he is really far from being a potato. :)
@titchner211c
What a great interpretation! It's in the key go "G." It's a very bright key, and Tatum makes the sun shine in the first chorus.
@titchner211c
who in their right mind would not like this or at least appreciate the brilliance
@waltermuller1262
out of this world!
@SELMER1947
Absolutely fabulous !!!!
@legamature
He had an awesome technique because he was blessed by mother nature. Lots of people study classical piano and never get very good.
@Santosificationable
It's not just "nature." Stories tell of how Tatum spent 12 hours or so a day on the keyboard refining his skill.
@FoxyLobo
It’s pretty unbelievable