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."
Running Wild
Art Tatum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm all by myself
I guess she thinks now that she's gone
I'll lay right on the shelf
I'm gonna show her she's all wrong
No lonesome stuff for mine
I won't sit home, all alone
She'll soon find that I'm
Runnin' wild, lost control
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
Feelin' gay, reckless too
Care free mind all the time, never blue
Always goin' don't know where
Always showin', I don't care
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
When I first met that gal of mine
It seemed just like a dream
But when she tho't she had me right
She started actin' mean
Like mary led her little lamb
She led me all the time
Until the worm had to turn
That's the reason I'm
Runnin' wild, lost control
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
Feelin' gay, reckless too
Care free mind all the time, never blue
Always goin' don't know where
Always showin', I don't care
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
No gal will ever make a fool of me
No gal! I mean just what I say
I ain't the simpleton I used to be
Wonder how I got that way
Once I was full of sentiment, it's true
But now I got a cruel heart
With all that other foolishness I'm through
Gonna play the Villain part
Runnin' wild, lost control
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
Feelin' gay, reckless too
Care free mind all the time, never blue
Always goin' don't know where
Always showin', I don't care
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
The song "Running Wild" by Art Tatum is about a man who has just had a fight with his girlfriend and is all alone now. Initially, he believes that his girlfriend thinks he will become completely miserable without her and just sit at home feeling lonely. However, he wants to prove her wrong, so he decides to "run wild." He plans on being carefree, reckless, and bold, constantly on the go and not caring where he ends up. He claims that he won't love anybody else because it's not worth the trouble, and he wants to show his girlfriend that he's better off without her.
The lyrics of the song suggest that the man is trying to find a way to cope after his breakup by becoming reckless and careless. He doesn't want to feel sad or depressed, and instead, he decides to embrace his newfound freedom. He even boasts about being "mighty bold" and "always showing," indicating that he's proud of his newfound independence. However, his tough exterior may be just an act, as he still seems to be hurt by his girlfriend's actions. While he claims he won't love anyone else, the fact that he devotes so much time to proving his worthiness without her suggests otherwise.
Line by Line Meaning
My gal and I, we had a fight
My girlfriend and I had an argument.
And I'm all by myself
I am currently alone.
I guess she thinks now that she's gone
I believe that she assumes that she can leave me without consequences.
I'll lay right on the shelf
I will feel useless and worthless without her.
I'm gonna show her she's all wrong
I intend to prove her wrong.
No lonesome stuff for mine
I have no intention of sulking due to my loneliness.
I won't sit home, all alone
I refuse to be home alone, feeling sorry for myself.
She'll soon find that I'm
She will realize that I am
Runnin' wild, lost control
Engaging in reckless behavior and savage impulses.
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
Boldly going wherever I please, regardless of any consequences.
Feelin' gay, reckless too
Feeling happy and fearless, even if it means engaging in risky behavior.
Care free mind all the time, never blue
I do not worry or fret, and I am never sad.
Always goin' don't know where
I am always on the move, without any direction.
Always showin', I don't care
I always appear to not care about anything or anyone.
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
I do not have affection for anyone, as it is not worth the pain it may cause me.
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
I am alone and engaging in reckless behavior.
When I first met that gal of mine
At the beginning of our relationship,
It seemed just like a dream
Everything was perfect and like a fairytale.
But when she tho't she had me right
When she thought she had me all figured out,
She started actin' mean
She began to treat me unkindly.
Like mary led her little lamb
She led me around as if I were a simpleton.
She led me all the time
She was in charge of our relationship.
Until the worm had to turn
Until I had enough and decided to take control myself.
That's the reason I'm
That is why I am
No gal will ever make a fool of me
I will never let a girl take advantage of me or make me look foolish again.
No gal! I mean just what I say
I am very serious and resolute about this.
I ain't the simpleton I used to be
I am not as naïve or gullible as I once was.
Wonder how I got that way
I am not sure how I became tougher, but I am.
Once I was full of sentiment, it's true
I used to be very emotional and sentimental.
But now I got a cruel heart
But now I have a heart that is cruel and unfeeling.
With all that other foolishness I'm through
I am done with all of that other foolishness.
Gonna play the Villain part
I will play the role of the villain, the bad guy.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ARTHUR GIBBS, ARTHUR HARRINGTON GIBBS, JOSEPH GREY, JOSEPH W GREY, LEO WOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Santosificationable
Tatum is maybe the only pianist I know who can make 2-3 minutes sound like forever. Indeed one of his unique qualities.
ltravail
"Art Tatum, the greatest pianist ever..." I agree. I've been listening to him for many years and the man's technical skills and command of the instrument mixed with his breadth and depth of knowledge of the western system of music continues to astound me. I so envy those who are still alive who had the occasion to see this genius perform in an intimate live setting. It had to be an incredible experience.
ATE Swingaholic
Thank you for all of these recordings. A lot of them are not even heard by most people who listen to Tatum!
Pinkie Eldred
OMG......Gullivior......you have the most enormously beautiful jazz contributions on U tube...of course with Tatum you always hit a gold mine....thanks for this
Partyzan Soundsystem
TY, Gullivior, for sharing these amazing pieces! All Tatum works is wonderful multiplication of good taste and brilliant technique.
little bic pen
This can teach anyone (even me) to really like jazz! Thank you for uploading this, I hadn't heard about Art Tatum at all until I found your channel. His playing is unbelievable and very hard to match, let alone to surpass (you are absolutely right!). And he was blind!
Jesse Russell
I absolutely love this version of running wild this is one of the greatest songs ever are Tatum his speed and his wonderful virtuosity is just brilliant I just love all the recordings that he has left us with I love his fast runs in his fast playing it’s fantastic.
Pinkie Eldred
Art tatum last forever...forever...you keep hearing new things everytime you play the same version over and over
A One Variety Store
Beyond genius
PracticallyBored
Unbelievable and impossible playing. Art Tatum has ten hands.