The Way Ahead (1944)

Arguably the greatest jazz soloist of all time, Art Tatum could play the piano with blinding speed, had technique that amazed classical pianists, and in the 1930s was harmonically three decades ahead of his time. While he considered his main influence to be Fats Waller, Tatum took his music to another planet altogether and was once introduced by Waller who simply said, God is in the house.

A rarely seen filmed performance by the splendid Miles Davis septet, recorded live in Warsaw in 1983 - with saxophonist Bill Evans and guitarist John Scofield. This fabulous, complete concert was filmed shortly after Miles Davis recorded his celebrated album 'Star People' - and features many of the compositions from the album, although it hadn`t actually yet been released when they performed in Poland. Bill Evans (the sax player) had been replaced by Branford Marsalis on the original studio versions of 'That`s Right' and 'Code M.D.'

Art Tatum - Portrait
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 1,8 GB | MP3 CBR 320: 1,4 GB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Past Perfect # 205460 325 | Country/Year: Germany 2001 | Genre: Jazz

They cover a mass of material from 1932 to 1953, some solo, some combos. Sound quality is decent, given the sources. Nice booklet included, along with full discography, dates, and personnel for each disc (thankfully). It's a chronology of one of the most amazing jazz pianists ever. Fully three of the discs appear to be home recordings of Art playing in lounges in 1953. Probably more Art Tatum than you'll ever want to hear!

Art Tatum was among the most extraordinary of all jazz musicians, a pianist with wondrous technique who could not only play ridiculously rapid lines with both hands (his 1933 solo version of "Tiger Rag" sounds as if there were three pianists jamming together) but was harmonically 30 years ahead of his time; all pianists have to deal to a certain extent with Tatum's innovations in order to be taken seriously…

Alongside Willie Mae Ford Smith, Sister Rosetta Tharpe is widely acclaimed among the greatest Sanctified gospel singers of her generation; a flamboyant performer whose music often flirted with the blues and swing, she was also one of the most controversial talents of her day, shocking purists with her leap into the secular market – by playing nightclubs and theaters, she not only pushed spiritual music into the mainstream, but in the process also helped pioneer the rise of pop-gospel…

Harry Nilsson worked at a bank and wrote songs on the side, mostly jingles and pop tunes in the mid-1960s. Under contract with RCA, his first record was a flop, but it yielded hits for The Monkees and Three Dog Night. In the late 1960s Nilsson was everywhere: pal to the Beatles (especially John and Ringo); singer of "Everybody's Talkin'," the theme to the movie Midnight Cowboy (1969); singer of the theme to the TV show The Courtship of Eddie's Father; composer of the soundtrack to the animated movie The Point (with its hit single "Me and My Arrow"); and singer of the number one hit, "Without You." …