The most important jazz pianist of the 20th Century was blind on eye and had only partial vision in the other. Born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1909, Art Tatum pioneered a new piano approach that was both astonishing and impossible to duplicate. In the beginning, Jelly Roll Morton and James P. Johnson and Willie "the Lion" Smith were among the first to break free of ragtime, with the latter two artists pioneering the stride style. Earl "Fatha" Hines followed with a swing style that simplified stride while Teddy Wilson glamorized the sound and Fats Waller added a bouncy quality and a sense of humor. Then came Art Tatum. [Photo above of Art Tatum]
He not only took all of the previous styles and combined them, he also played the entire orchestra—meaning his solo style covered virtually all aspects of a big band. This included sectional call and response, harmony, chord voicings, a rhythmic energy and patterned improvisation that astonished listeners.
Most important, he can be viewed as the true father of bebop. Charlie Parker heard him while working as a dishwasher at a Manhattan restaurant and would model his alto saxophone attack on Tatum's lightning fast runs. Thelonious Monk also had Tatum in mind as he pioneered his own form of progressive jazz in the late 1940s. So did pianists Billy Taylor and Oscar Peterson in the 1950s and '60s.
So who was Art Tatum and why does he matter? Here's director Howard Johnson's 2008 documentary Art Tatum: The Art of Jazz Piano...