1958 · Album
The Complete Pablo Solo Masterpieces
Recorded 1956 · Verve Records · Produced by Norman Granz
The Solo Pianist at the Height of His Powers
A record that proved Tatum needed no one else to fill a room with music.
When Art Tatum recorded the sessions that became The Tatum Group Masterpieces, Volume Eight in 1956, he was already a living legend—a pianist whose technical command and harmonic imagination had redefined what the instrument could do in jazz. The original 1958 release on Verve Records arrived without fanfare into a market saturated with Tatum recordings, and it did not spark immediate critical sensation. But over time, as Norman Granz's reissue campaign in the 1970s repositioned these recordings as part of a larger historical arc, the album gained ground. AllMusic awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars, and The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings gave it a perfect 4 out of 4—recognition that the record contained something essential.
What makes this session worth hearing is straightforward: Tatum alone at the keyboard, no accompaniment needed. He moves through standards with the ease of someone who has played them thousands of times but finds something new in each one. His touch ranges from whisper-soft to torrential, his left hand independent and conversational, his right hand capable of both lyricism and passages of almost bewildering speed. The music never sounds flashy or show-offy, even when the technique is astonishing. It sounds like thinking out loud.
This is not Tatum's most celebrated work—those records tend to be the earlier trio sessions or his live performances—but it captures him at a point where his gifts were fully mature and his judgment about what to play and when to play it was impeccable. For anyone wanting to understand what a truly great improviser sounds like when there is nowhere to hide, this record is essential.
Who's playing
Art Tatumpiano
Where next?
More by Art Tatum
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