The Bebop Shop : Artistry In Rhythm: Early Jazz, Big Bands & Swing : Art Tatum
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. (Trapeze Music) Price: £19.99
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