 The
Art of Jazz
By Brian Beirl
D.D.S.
In 1920 the
evening crowd strolling along Toledo’s Madison Street was
experiencing the sounds of the centuries colliding. The
culture of America was about to roar. The Great War was over
and ragtime was morphing into the sensual sounds of jazz.
Peering into one
of prohibition’s illicit taverns, we see an eleven year old
Arthur Tatum seated at a vintage player piano. He places his
fingers over the rapidly moving ghost- like keys, listening to
the music, memorizing, and mentally connecting each note to
each key. The youngster stares straight ahead with unseeing
eyes, having been blinded by childhood diseases and a severe
gang beating. The scrolling piano is his teacher.
Art Tatum became
the greatest jazz pianist of all time. When he played his
fingers were a blur producing astonishing rhythmic and
harmonic complexities. This extraordinary man is a profound
example of what can be accomplished with a passion, and not
being fettered by any physical or emotional baggage.
This amazing story
is not complete unless you know the workings of a player
piano. Player piano music scrolls are the equivalent of having
two piano players playing together. Our young, undaunted,
musician unwittingly learned to play the piano as if he had
four hands. He became the greatest, because he did not limit
himself by any knowledge to the contrary.
What can we accomplish without self imposed barriers, or
“helpful” other’s limited thinking? Make your world a better
and more beautiful place by becoming the best you can be.
"Maybe this will explain Art Tatum. If you put a piano in a
room, just a bare piano. Then you get all the finest jazz
pianists in the world and let them play in the presence of Art
Tatum. Then let Art Tatum play ... everyone there will sound
like an amateur." -
Teddy Wilson
Legend has it that
classical pianist Vladimir Horowitz was so awed by Tatum's
wizardry that it brought him to tears.
Brian Beirl
September 2007
back to top |
