Art Tatum unknowingly changed pop and rock 'n' roll. As Les Paul tells it, he was originally a pianist with a trio and determined to be exceptional. Until his friend played him a record by Art Tatum. Paul says he stopped playing piano and switched to guitar. Had Paul not heard Tatum and had he gone on to lead a piano trio, we likely wouldn't have had overdubbing, tape delay, phasing effects and multitrack recording as early as we did, not to mention the solid body electric guitar. Think about all those rock musicians who favored a Gibson Les Paul guitar, which began production in 1952.
So there's no better way to start the week than with a superb documentary on pianist Art Tatum, apparently the only documentary on the jazz pianist. Directed by Howard Johnson, the documentary was released in 2008 and can be purchased here.
Here's Art Tatum: The Art Of Jazz Piano...