The Jazz Project - Album 77: Art Tatum - "The Genius of Art Tatum"

             To further my understanding of Jazz, I'm listening through Jazzwise Magazine's "The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook The World". Each album is presented with my stream-of-consciousness thoughts for each track, my general thoughts of the album as a whole, and any relevant information I can capture about the album. Also included is my drink of choice while taking the album in. Thank you for joining me on my journey to [partial] Jazz enlightenment.

Album 77

Art Tatum - The Genius Of Tatum
No beverage. 

Photo credit: https://img.discogs.com/iqGnXrpTjzQvwlFXP84om9AX6Qo=/fit-in/600x604/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-5802476-1549828321-3592.jpeg.jpg

1.  "The Man I Love": A lovely intro of solo piano work. The runs on notes are delightful and employed often. At 0:40 the complexity dials up and the track turns into a whirlwind of notes. The skill level is clear, and it's very high. It feels like the perfect blend of Classical music and traditional Jazz. About 2 minutes in it takes on this swaggering swing, and it just feels good to listen to. To be honest, I was expecting a band, but the solo piano work is fun to listen to. 
   
   
2. "Over The Rainbow": This track walks the line of being true to the song and true to the art form. Each measure seems to alternate between the traditional melody and a jazzier version. It's an incredible cover. 
   
   
3. "Memories Of You": Very reminiscent of the first track. There are some excellent moments of piano work, but it could benefit from a band. I think it's calming to listen to, and the skills demonstrated are impressive. 
   
   
4. "Body And Soul" A jazz standard. Tatum's performance of it feels true to form based on my experience with this song. His control over the dynamic range of his instrument is masterful, as his sense of rhythm. If you're a fan of this jazz standard, this performance should do good things for you. This version does add little flecks of classical into the mix adding a refreshing take on this piece. 
   
   
5. "Makin' Whoopie": While the shortest song on the album, this one was the punchiest. It's tempo and Tatum's fury as he punched his way up and down the whole keyboard makes this a memorable song. Arguably my favorite track on this collection. 
   
   
6. "Mighty Like A Rose": This intro is beautiful and textured. Masterful isn't a strong enough word for Tatum's skills. The places this song goes makes it arguably my favorite track. It's just fun to listen to. The piano playing is manic at times but feels wholly intentional. 

Overall Thoughts: With a runtime of 28 minutes, it didn't take long to get through. Honestly, I was a little underwhelmed with the experience. Acknowledging that Art Tatum is one of the greats in the world of Jazz, I would have enjoyed my time more if there was a full band playing around Tatum. All that being said, if you're into Jazz piano playing, this guy's skills are bar-none and worth your attention. 

Info: I couldn't track down much on this release beyond that the artist is Art Tatum, and it was recorded by Norman Granz.