Art Tatum, Clint Eastwood, Ray Charles and Peterson

Hallelujah!

What kind of a group is it?

I was fishing through Art Tatum for I haven't picked his play before. I started listening jazz early 60es. We had FEN, Far East Network then. That is the only one who broadcast jazz. But the main stream was Glen Miller, Charles Bennet? and those who were top runner at the time. Yes, the broadcast was for military people in far east.

It was mid 1960 when I stared to realize there are lots of styles in jazz. Then Art Tatum and Lenny Tristano came into my vision. As far as I am concerned, both of them tell some kind of philosophy through piano. Tristano had never been my favorite. His phrasing was too sarcastic, let's say. As for Art, we didn't have any LP as that time. There was no internet of course.

This is my first time to really listen to him. I have known that he had done lots of tricks with his magical fingers. He could be better than Oscar Peterson. Peterson sounds to enjoy playing complicated phrase just for its sake. Art sings with it. Well, at the least I hear him pretty nice with this You Tube presentation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNAJlqn0nO4

Recording is good for the age.



 I found this astonishing video. It's conceivable for me. Ray Charles is talking with Clint Eastwood while watching a video of Art Tatum playing piano and saying comment on both Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum. Interesting, right?

There is a comment attached to this video saying that Peterson is a band men and Art Tatum is for solo. I agree with that. Art Tatum might have been too strict to play with, I guess. He just cannot accept what the sideman's say with their instruments.

Oscar Peterson the Great!

He excels in technicality as well as tempo setting, improvisation and above all his sense to jazz music is nothing but the surprise. I listened to Night Train at YouTube. Go ahead and try.



See? Nobody can play this tempo. And it does not fluctuate at all from top to tail.
And he's gone. How sad that is. . . . . .

Oscar Peterson, the greatest pianist.

I didn't know till this day the death of Oscar Peterson. There are some reasons. I don't read those publications on music anymore. Nor I check online source on who's who type of directory.

I had learned a lot from his standard jazz collection. Yes, he had issued a series on great composers of so-called standard numbers. There wasn't long improvisation. His play was a few choruses for each tune.

They are just beautiful. Yeah, I agree that there is some plays that he has failed to create beautiful alley of tones. But as always, his powerful voicing did astound me and I was just awed.

I have been going through Google Alert and have found a young man, Benny Green. Well he looks young. You can hear "Taking chance of Love" with his? trio. As far as this performance is concerned, he sounds like trying out beat drums and base. His tempo is a bit different from those rhythm. Oscar had never been that. He rides on rhythm.

One more thing, Benny's left hand doesn't match to Oscars'. Voicing is rather simple with Benny if compared to Oscar.

But, I envy Benny. Yes, he definitely is the person to devise some kind of breakthrough.