PABLO 7-CDs 7PACD-4404-2: ART TATUM - Complete Pablo SOLO Masterpieces, 1991 USA

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Background -

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. Able to play stride, swing, and boogie-woogie with speed and complexity that could only previously be imagined, Tatum's quick reflexes and boundless imagination kept his improvisations filled with fresh (and sometimes futuristic) ideas that put him way ahead of his contemporaries. Born nearly blind, Tatum gained some formal piano training at the Toledo School of Music but was largely self-taught. Although influenced a bit by Fats Waller and the semi-classical pianists of the 1920s, there is really no explanation for where Tatum gained his inspiration and ideas from. He first played professionally in Toledo in the mid-'20s and had a radio show during 1929-1930. In 1932 Tatum traveled with singer Adelaide Hall to New York and made his recording debut accompanying Hall (as one of two pianists). But for those who had never heard him in person, it was his solos of 1933 (including "Tiger Rag") that announced the arrival of a truly major talent. In the 1930s, Tatum spent periods working in Cleveland, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and (in 1938) England. Although he led a popular trio with guitarist Tiny Grimes (later Everett Barksdale) and bassist Slam Stewart in the mid-'40s, Tatum spent most of his life as a solo pianist who could always scare the competition. Some observers criticized him for having too much technique (is such a thing possible?), working out and then keeping the same arrangements for particular songs, and for using too many notes, but those minor reservations pale when compared to Tatum's reworkings of such tunes as "Yesterdays," "Begin the Beguine," and even "Humoresque." Although he was not a composer, Tatum's rearrangements of standards made even warhorses sound like new compositions. Art Tatum, who recorded for Decca throughout the 1930s and Capitol in the late '40s, starred at the Esquire Metropolitan Opera House concert of 1944 and appeared briefly in his only film in 1947, The Fabulous Dorseys (leading a jam session on a heated blues). He recorded extensively for Norman Granz near the end of his life in the 1950s, both solo and with all-star groups; all of the music has been reissued by Pablo on a six-CD box set. His premature death from uremia has not resulted in any loss of fame, for Art Tatum's recordings still have the ability to scare modern pianists. - Scott Yanow                  A lucky seven CDs, over 200 tracks in the order they were recorded by the marvelous Art Tatum during the famous 1953-1955 Pablo sessions produced by Norman Granz, plus a previously unissued Hollywood Bowl concert from '56! Pure solo brilliance!     This box set is a stunner: the ultimate Art Tatum collection. Virtually every well-known jazz composition is included, as well as many of the show-stopping ballads of Rogers and Hart, Jerome Kern, and the Gershwins, all played in Tatum's lavish, swinging style. While a box set of this size is almost impossible to cover in brief, it reaches a peak for stride piano enthusiasts with "Taboo," which reeks of 1920s Harlem rent parties. In addition, the last two choruses freely reveal the Thomas "Fats" Waller image so loved and adopted by Tatum. Aside from the bustling all-over-the-keyboard Tatum, there's an immeasurable tender side to him, as well. He plays the ballad "My Last Affair" in the silken, smooth rhythm that so distinguished his style, a style and technique never equaled in its sophistication and brilliance. It is virtually impossible to select a more impressive jazz and swing piano treasure for the neophyte or seasoned collector. Historians note that Norman Granz, the original promoter of the Tatum series, recorded the pianist in a sort of musical Napoleonic charge to get every selection down on wax for the ages. It was as if Granz knew that Tatum would be dead in 1956, three years after the first of these recordings. --Daniel Bartlett Jr.             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 mostly 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. - Scott Yanow The Best of the Pablo Solo Masterpieces collects 20 tracks from the original seven-disc box set of recordings made by influential jazz pianist Art Tatum between 1953 and 1956. Featuring Tatum alone at the piano, producer Norman Granz intended these sessions as a spotlight for the artist, and as such, they deliver a portrait of the genius technician in the latter stage of his career. Although Tatum's brilliant early work is the place to start listening to his unique style, the Pablo sessions are nonetheless essential listening for Tatum fanatics. Also, given the exhaustive nature of the original 120-track box set, this compilation is a welcome development. - Matt Collar I have a dear friend, an accomplished jazz pianist, who used to attach the following tag to his e-mail: "I believe in God and Art Tatum — not necessarily in that order." I too appreciate Tatum's peerless mastery of keys and harmonies, his signature inventiveness, impeccable inner metronome, feathery runs, and pioneering ability to bridge the stride before him with the bop that lay ahead. But I can't take too much of him at one sitting, and I finally recognized why: his density simply exhausts me. After about fifteen minutes of baroque tinkling, I usually need a break, and might reach for something with a less abstracted and stronger groove. Having uttered that heresy (sorry, George!), I still believe that Tatum is essential in bite-sized portions. This collection distills 20 tracks distilled from the 7-CD Complete Pablo Solo Masterpieces box, each recorded between 1953 and 1955 and produced by Norman Granz. The Best of  provides nearly 80 minutes of Tatumic transformations, as he turns the pop tunes of his era into intricate inventions. The longer tracks like "Body and Soul" and "In a Sentimental Mood" are especially intriguing, since they are more fully developed and Tatum's ability to transcend cliché is most evident (for example, his witty interweaving of "Swanee" in the latter is nothing less than brilliant). This recording is a complement to the Best of the Pablo Group Masterpieces. Tatum worshippers like my friend, regular fans, and those new to his genius will no longer wonder what all the fuss is about. - Dr. Judith Schlesinger The story goes like this: In late 1953, Art Tatum headed into the Radio Recorders studios in Hollywood, sat down at a bench, cracked a bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbon (far from his last of the night), listened to some UCLA basketball on the portable radio he brought with him, and then turned it off and said, "Let's go". After that quick comment, Tatum went on to knock out 69 master recordings over two days. They are nearly all first takes. If this story is a case of minor, curious mythology, it also shapes the sprawling, excellent recordings that fill up The Art Tatum Solo Masterpieces, Volume 1. The set has been reissued by Concord Music Group as one of a handful put out to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pablo Records, a fruitful jazz label started by Norman Granz, one-time owner of other labels like Clef, Norgran, and Verve. It was Granz who supplied the PBR for Tatum during those recordings, and hearing these takes now, you can't help but be thankful. These 16 tracks combine Tatum's irrepressible sense of melody, his raucous style, and his knack for drifting far from that melody line only to heighten its effectiveness. These songs are both catchy meditations and wind sprints that can be tough to keep up with. "Moonglow" seems like it will ease us in with its lilting chord phrasings, until Tatum starts to fill in the gaps with breakneck-speed rundowns. The song is an eruption of clever piano, sometimes a duel between left hand and right, sometimes something far more complicated. The reason Tatum's solo  recordings stand out in the solo piano tradition is that sometimes just his two hands operate the way a band does, one hand laying back in the rhythm and melody to let the other solo before they reconvene. It makes for a versatile delivery of these songs. "Love For Sale" is far more spacious than "Moonglow", though no less playful. If the tempo is slower, the fills are still airtight, shifting from classical-leaning structures to impressive and expressive breakdowns. "Body and Soul" runs for nearly six minutes, shifting tempos and mood several times, but the track never tires. Without saying a word, Tatum has a massive presence on these recordings, each set of notes like a set of affecting, murky lyrics. They say so much, convey so much meaning, though the specifics may be vague. So it is with another epic piece here, "Everything I Have is Yours". Some movements here, slower and more deliberate, convey some sort of nostalgia, or the wistfulness of love, while other moments punctuate that feeling with something more physical, more vital, more of blood and bone. But it's not just the big moments that feel, well, big on these recordings. Tatum takes recognizable tunes and gives them a facelift. "It's Only a Paper Moon" sounds both joyous and chaotic, some sort of alternate take for Blanche Dubois in a version of Streetcar where her illusions aren't destroyed or destructive. Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady" has a rhythmic stomp to it, even as Tatum's phrasings are as unruly as ever. And the Gershwin tune 'Embraceable You", which closes the collection, is a softer cut, not gentle or fragile necessarily, but more subtle in its energy, a nice counterpoint to the bright, zealous opening on "Moonglow". This new edition, which features seven takes not on the original LP, is a more complete account of these recordings, and a more thrilling collection overall. A complete box set of the Pablo recordings was released 20-plus years ago, but these cuts -- remastered from the original analog tapes -- may improve upon completism, instead giving us the very best of what those recordings offered. It may be a bit less controlled than the excellent Piano Starts Here, but the sheer glut of sound and variety of textures is what makes this collection worthwhile. Tatum said "Let's go", and then he let go. And this is the expansive result. - Matthew Fiander This listing is for a very rare, Boxed Set of 7-CDs - an OPENED, Near MINT condition set, PRESSED and ISSUED by PABLO RECORDS of a highly collectible title from their catalog - a superb title featuring the music of -

Art Tatum

Box Set title -

The Complete Pablo SOLO Masterpieces

Track Listing:

1-1 Can't We Be Friends - 3:45          1-2 This Can't Be Love - 2:37          1-3 Elegy - 3:35          1-4 Memories Of You - 4:48          1-5 Over The Rainbow - 3:42          1-6 If You Hadn't Gone Away - 3:55          1-7 Body And Soul - 5:50          1-8 The Man I Love - 4:28          1-9 Makin’ Whoopee -  2:46          1-10 September Song -  4:09          1-11 Begin The Beguine -  2:59          1-12 Humoresque -  3:56          1-13 Louise -  5:00          1-14 Love For Sale -  4:40          1-15 Judy -  3:47          1-16 I'm Comin’ Virginia -  3:35          1-17 Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams -  3:42          1-18 Dixieland Band -  3:06          2-1 Embraceable You -  4:30          2-2 Come Rain Or Come Shine -  5:07          2-3 Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin’ -  3:57          2-4 There Will Never Be Another You -  5:28          2-5 Tenderly -  5:05          2-6 What Does It Take -  2:49          2-7 You Took Advantage Of Me -  3:16          2-8 I've Got The World On A String -  3:55          2-9 Yesterdays -  3:28          2-10 I Hadn't Anyone Till You -  3:32          2-11 Night And Day -  3:14          2-12 Jitterbug Waltz -  3:47          2-13 Someone To Watch Over Me -  3:47          2-14 The Very Thought Of You -  4:28          2-15 You're Driving Me Crazy -  2:38          2-16 I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You -  4:11          2-17 Stardust -  5:00          3-1 I Cover The Waterfront -  3:45          3-2 Where Or When -  5:14          3-3 Stay As Sweet As You Are -  5:06          3-4 Fine And Dandy -  3:02          3-5 All The Things You Are -  6:00          3-6 Have You Met Miss Jones -  4:48          3-7 In A Sentimental Mood -  6:02          3-8 I'll See You Again -  4:52          3-9 I'll See You In My Dreams -  3:16          3-10 Ill Wind -  5:18          3-11 Isn't This A Lovely Day -  3:32          3-12 Blue Skies -  2:56          3-13 Without A Song -  5:48          3-14 Stompin' At The Savoy -  2:55          3-15 My Last Affair -  2:53          3-16 I'm In The Mood For Love -  4:26          4-1 Taboo -  2:50          4-2 Would You Like To Take A Walk -  4:13          4-3 I've Got A Crush On You -  3:35          4-4 Japanese Sandman -  3:14          4-5 Too Marvelous For Words -  2:58          4-6 Aunt Hagar's Blues -  4:52          4-7 Just Like A Butterfly That's Caught In The Rain -  3:50          4-8 Gone With The Wind -  3:01          4-9 Danny Boy -  4:10          4-10 They Can't Take That Away From Me -  4:45          4-11 Tea For Two -  3:30          4-12 It's The Talk Of The Town -  3:53          4-13 Blue Lou -  2:43          4-14 When A Woman Loves A Man -  5:35          4-15 Willow Weep For Me -  4:32          4-16 Ain't Misbehavin’ -  2:35          4-17 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes -  3:53          4-18 Mighty Like A Rose -  6:06          5-1 Stars Fell On Alabama -  5:56          5-2 Blue Moon -  5:00          5-3 There's A Small Hotel -  5:01          5-4 Caravan -  2:36          5-5 The Way You Look Tonight -  6:38          5-6 You Go To My Head -  4:55          5-7 Lover Come Back To Me -  6:45          5-8 Sophisticated Lady -  3:35          5-9 Dancing In The Dark -  4:30          5-10 Love Me Or Leave Me -  3:23          5-11 Cherokee -  3:38          5-12 These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You) -  4:50          5-13 Deep Purple -  5:00          5-14 After You've Gone -  4:00          5-15 I Didn't Know What Time It Was -  4:13          6-1 Somebody Loves Me -  3:49          6-2 What's New -  4:32          6-3 Sweet Lorraine -  4:21          6-4 Crazy Rhythm -  2:55          6-5 Isn't It Romantic -  4:34          6-6 You're Blasé -  4:57          6-7 You're Mine You -  4:52          6-8 Indiana (Back Home Again In Indiana) -  3:03          6-9 That Old Feeling -  5:12          6-10 Heat Wave -  3:17          6-11 She's Funny That Way -  3:51          6-12 I Surrender Dear -  3:51          6-13 Happy Feet -  2:36          6-14 Mean To Me -  2:56          6-15 Boulevard Of Broken Dreams -  5:19          6-16 Moonlight On The Ganges -  2:14          6-17 Moon Song -  4:39          6-18 When Your Lover Has Gone -  3:38          6-19 The Moon Is Low -  4:10          6-20 If I Had You -  4:10          7-1 S’posin’ -  3:22          7-2 Don't Worry 'Bout Me -  4:10          7-3 Prisoner Of Love -  4:17          7-4 Moonglow -  2:54          7-5 I Won't Dance -  2:57          7-6 I Can't Give You Anything But Love -  3:35          7-7 Lullaby Of Rhythm -  3:09          7-8 Out Of Nowhere -  3:45          7-9 I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues -  3:54          7-10 It's Only A Paper Moon -  2:38          7-11 Everything I Have Is Yours -  5:44          7-12 I Only Have Eyes For You -  2:48          7-13 On The Sunny Side Of The Street -  3:06          7-14 Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me -  4:55          7-15 So Beats My Heart For You -  5:18          7-16 If You Hadn't Gone Away -  4:05          7-17 Please Be Kind -  5:06          7-18 Someone To Watch Over Me -  3:50          7-19 Begin The Beguine -  2:58          7-20 Willow Weep For Me -  3:44          7-21 Humoresque -  3:24

Performers / Credits Include:

• Compilation Producer – Eric Miller • Edited By, Transferred By [Transferred To Digital By] – Danny Kopelson • Liner Notes – Benny Green, Eric Miller • Photography By – Phil Stern • Piano – Art Tatum • Producer [Original Recordings] – Norman Granz • Recorded By – Art Baker (tracks: 2-17, 3-1 to 3-16, 4-1 to 4-18), Val Valentin (tracks: 1-1 to 2-16, 5-1 to 7-21) • Recorded By [Assistant] – Rafael Valentin (tracks: 1-1 to 2-16, 5-1 to 7-21) • Remastered By – Phil De Lancie

Other Information:

Recorded between December 1953 and August 1956 at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California, except Disc 7, #17-20, recorded live at the Hollywood Bowl.  "The Tatum Solo Masterpieces were previously reissued as Pablo 2625-703 (13-LP set) and as separate albums, except Disc 7, tracks #17-20, not previously reissued on Pablo."  Discs packaged in two multi-disc, wide jewel cases held in a blow-molded tray, housed with a 12-page booklet in a cardboard case.               • Phonographic Copyright (p) – Fantasy, Inc. • Copyright (c) – Fantasy, Inc.

The 7-CD Boxed Set is from the rare PABLO RECORDS series of CDs.

• Catalog # 7PACD 4404-2
• CDs issued in 1991
• CDs made in the USA

The CDs, OUTER BOX and INSERTS are all in Near MINT condition! The set is complete and in superb collectors grade condition! A better set would be very difficult to find!

This CD is an audiophile quality pressing (any collector of fine MFSL, half speeds, direct to discs, Japanese/UK pressings etc., can attest to the difference a quality pressing can make to an audio system).

Don't let this rarity slip by!!!

• Condition: Very Good
• Condition: Superb boxed set in collector's grade condition - 7-CDs plus booklet, issued in 1991 and made in the USA - a superb large format Box Set issue! The box set is complete and in gorgeous condition - everything is here. Very little shelf wear noticeable on the outer box and the discs, everything is near mint (you will be hard pressed to find a nicer set).
• Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
• Duration: Box Set (6-CDs)
• Record Label: Pablo
• Edition: Box Set (7-CDs) Limited Edition
• Genre: Boogie-Woogie, Jazz
• Special Attributes: Made in the USA, 7-CD Boxed Set, Issued 1991, Collector's Edition, Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition, Special Edition, Anthology, Compilation, Import
• UPC: 0025218440424
• Artist: Art Tatum
• Format: CD
• Producer: Norman Granz, Eric Miller
• Release Year: 1991
• Release Title: The Complete Pablo Solo Masterpieces [Box]
• Style: Boogie-Woogie

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