In Art Tatum

The fifth installment of Classics' Art Tatum story contains 24 piano solos that showcase the musician as the one-man band he was. These are breathtaking studio recordings made for Captiol and Columbia and also live performances recorded at the "Just Jazz" concerts staged at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. While only one Tatum original is included, "Tatum-Pole Boogie," he mainly tackles standards like "Willow Weep for Me," "Someone to Watch over Me," "My Heart Stood Still," and "Makin Whoopee."

This comprehensive CD contains Art Tatum's very first recording (a broadcast version of "Tiger Rag"), four selections in which he accompanies singer Adelaide Hall (along with a second pianist) and then his first 20 solo sides. To call his virtuosic piano style remarkable would be a major understatement; he has to be heard to be believed. His studio version of "Tiger Rag" may very well be his most incredible recording; he sounds like three pianists at once.

The final volume in this very worthy series is a comparatively relaxed affair, a quartet set with tenor saxophonist Ben Webster. Webster lets Tatum fill the background with an infinite number of notes while emphasizing his warm tenor in the forefront on a variety of melodic ballads and standards. The combination works very well.

The second CD in Classics' Art Tatum series features the remarkable pianist as a soloist for many gems recorded for Decca and with a sextet on four numbers. Although alternate takes are bypassed, making the Decca CDs preferable, the set is overflowing with classics. Highlights include Tatum's interpretations of "Chloe," "The Sheik of Araby," "Elegie," "Humoresque," "Get Happy" and "Begin the Beguine."

Art Tatum - The Complete Pablo Solo Masterpieces (1991) {7CD Set Pablo Records 7PACD-4404-2 rec 1953-1956}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.76 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.19 Gb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 173 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1953-56, 1991 Pablo / Fantasy | PACD 4404-2
Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Swing / Stride / Boogie-Woogie / Piano

During four marathon recording sessions in 1953-55, Norman Granz recorded Art Tatum playing 119 standards, enough music for a dozen LPs. The results have been recently reissued separately on eight CDs and on this very full seven-CD box set. Frankly, Tatum did no real advance preparation for this massive project, sticking mosty to concise melodic variations of standards, some of them virtual set pieces formed over the past two decades. Since there are few uptempo performances, the music in this series has a certain sameness after awhile but, heard in small doses, it is quite enjoyable. A special bonus on this box (and not on the individual volumes) are four numbers taken from a 1956 Hollywood Bowl concert.

Art Tatum - The Art Tatum Solo Masterpieces Vol. 1 (1953) {OJC Remasters Complete Series rel 2013, item 32of33}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 301 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 157 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 162 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1953, 2013 Pablo / Concord | 40th Anniversary of Pablo Records | 0888072346208
Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Piano

Concord Music Group will release five new titles in its Original Jazz Classics Remasters series on September 17, 2013. Enhanced by 24-bit remastering by Joe Tarantino, bonus tracks (some previously unreleased), and new liner notes to provide historical context to the originally released material, the series celebrates the 40th anniversary of Pablo Records, the prolific Beverly Hills-based label that showcased some of the most influential jazz artists and recordings of the 1970s and '80s.