Re: Tatumized Tunes

reed ( (no email) )
Fri, 16 May 1997 04:52:17 +0100

At 11:59 AM 5/16/97 GMT, you wrote:
>
>The Mar/Apr number of Piano&Keyboard, has an article on Art Tatum's
>harmonisation s. It mentions his superb way of embellishing popular tunes
>through the use of many creative and innovative devices of his own (and all
>this while improvising!).
>One of the most popular devices he used consisted of the addition of colour
>chords, to expand harmonic movement and improve the bass progression, but
>the article is a bit shallow on this.
>I don't have problems in adding colour chords to a basic progression, so
>that it sounds nice. I do have problems in making it sound great (as I hear
>on my mind).
>As someone quoted, it's about feelings, not rules, but I find that some
>theoretical discussions on the list, give me an insight that helps me FEEL a
>lot better!
>So does any of you guys care to set some hands-on rules on this matter?
>
>Pedro Batista
><pbatista@colep.mailpac.pt>
>
>
>
Unfortunately, there is nothing tricky that Tatum is doing that hasnt
already been discussed on the discussion list and posted at the website.

It's just triotone subs, different turnarounds, ...

Of course, voicings are an issue sometimes as well as various
pianistic devices.

Improvising subsitutions is another matter. We don't really know if
Tatum was doing that or if those were essentially arrangements of
the specific tunes that he had worked.

Making things sound beautiful requires alot of painstaking work. It
can get faster over time but in the beginning it's very slow.

In the beginning you have to spend tremendous amounts of time
on small things: voicings, harmonic ideas, etc. You have to listen to
things are you doing, try things, etc. It's more of a compositional
process than anything else.

My first really good solo piano arrangement was of the tune "Where are
You?" by Jimmy McCugh. I knew I had something when I did it. Of course
it was the only thing of that quality I was able to produce in a whole
year of practice time, noodling around and trying things.

A few weeks after I finished the arrangement I was taking a private lesson
from a famous player that was in town and for some reason he was sitting
about 30 feet away from me in this big room (I think he was having
a cigarette or something). Well I had scarcely finished playing him the
first 8 bars when I noticed that he was looking directly over my shoulder
to catch what I was playing.

He said something to the effect that if I could do that on other things
I'd have something.

Sometimes I feel sorry for very talented musicians. They can achieve
an amazingly high level with relatively little work. They can easily get
stuck at where they are because they are not accustomed to putting in
the amount of time and effort to produce beautiful things.

To quote Bill Evans from "Bill Evans the 70's" [requoted from
"Comtemporay Keyboard, Jan 1981]:

"I believe in things that are developed through hard work. I always
like people who have developed long and hard, especially through
introspection and alot of dedication. I think that what they arrive at
is usually a much deeper and more beautiful thing than the person
who seems to have that ability and fluidity from the beginning. I say
this because it's a good message to give to young talents who feel as
I used to".

reed

Reed Kotler
reed@justjazz.com
http://www.justjazz.com