Art Tatum plays Chopin

[Nick Armstrong]

One for the jazzers as well as the classical heads: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fylxor4zo0w

What does anyone think?

[Anna]

I quite enjoyed that, it was fun! But I like Art Tatum. Shame about the terrible sound quality. Worst Jazz/Classical crossover I ever bought (luckily it was only 99p in The Red Cross Shop and was quickly returned) was Ron Carter plays Bach ........ words cannot describe how awful that was!

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks, Caliban - hadn't heard that particular track before.

Tatum gets away with it owing to his supreme genius, whereas many haven't got it and don't, imv. Well, that's my view, and a lot of jazzers disagree that Art was the supremo of jazz piano, considering him unswingy and over-ornate. Again have to disagree on both counts - if anything it's the spaces he leaves count equally with the ornery; and what a harmonic sense he brought to familiar materials!

S-A

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Yes - great fun! Much better than what Godowsky did to Chopin!

(I also liked Tatum's take on the Dvorak Humoresque, too.)

[ahinton]

Yes - great fun! Much better than what Godowsky did to Chopin!

Tatum may have gotten away with what he did (and, heaven knows, he had a right to, brilliant as he was), but you aren't getting away with that! - oh, no siree! I sentence you to learn all 54 of them as a penance for your disparagement of some of the most remarkable piano writing in the entire literature! Oh and by the way Godowsky didn't "do" anything to Chopin; Chopin remains intact, Opp. 10 25 and posth. études being the inviolably wondrous things that they are!

(I also liked Tatum's take on the Dvorak Humoresque, too.)

Yes - fun, isn't it!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I sentence you to learn all 54 of them as a penance for your disparagement of some of the most remarkable piano writing in the entire literature!

Cruel and Unnatural, yerOnner!

Oh and by the way Godowsky didn't "do" anything to Chopin; Chopin remains intact, Opp. 10 25 and posth. études being the inviolably wondrous things that they are!

Fair point.

Oh, very well: where did I put that Jorge Bolet disc?