Art Tatum

American jazz pianist (1909–1956)

Born: 13 October 1909
Toledo
Died: 5 November 1956
Los Angeles
Country: United States
Active: 1926–1956
Record labels: Capitol Records, Verve Records, Decca, Brunswick Records, Folkways Records
Discography: 47 albums

Biography

Art Tatum was a jazz musician who played piano. Art Tatum was born on 13 October 1909 in Toledo and died on 5 November 1956 in Los Angeles. The music is usually filed under jazz and stride piano. Record labels: Capitol Records, Verve Records, Decca and Brunswick Records. The discography here lists 47 albums, from “Decca Presents Art Tatum in an Album of Piano Solos” (1940) to “Blue Skies” (2025). Honours include Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance (1973), Grammy Hall of Fame (1977) and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1988).

Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever. From early in his career, fellow musicians acclaimed Tatum's technical ability as extraordinary. Tatum also extended jazz piano's vocabulary and boundaries far beyond his initial stride influences, and established new ground through innovative use of reharmonization, voicing, and bitonality. Tatum grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where he began playing piano professionally and had his own radio program, rebroadcast nationwide, while still in his teens. He left Toledo in 1932 and had residencies as a solo pianist at clubs in major urban centers including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. In that decade, he settled into a pattern he followed for most of his career – paid performances followed by long after-hours playing, all accompanied by prodigious alcohol consumption.

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Discography

Studio and live albums

Decca Presents Art Tatum in an Album of Piano Solos 1940 · Decca Records Piano solos 1944 · Asch Records Art Tatum 1950 · Capitol Records Art Tatum 1950 · Capitol Records Piano Solos Vol. 2 1950 · Brunswick Gene Norman Presents an Art Tatum Concert 1952 · Live · Columbia Tatum, Carter, Bellson 1954 · Clef Records The Genius Of Art Tatum #4 1954 · Clef Records The Genius Of Art Tatum #5 1954 · Clef Records The Genius of Art Tatum 1954 · Clef Records The Art Tatum - Roy Eldridge - Alvin Stoller - John Simmons Quartet 1955 · Clef Records The Genius of Art Tatum #6 1955 · Clef Records The Genius of Art Tatum #7 1955 · Clef Records The Genius of Art Tatum #9 1955 · Clef Records The Tatum Touch 1956 · Columbia

Makin' Whoopee 1958

Still More of the Greatest Piano of Them All 1960 · Verve More of the Greatest Piano of Them All 1961 · Verve Piano Starts Here 1968 · Columbia God Is in the House: Original 1940-41 Recordings 1973 · Polydor Art Tatum Legacy 1974 · Olympic Records Art Tatum At The Crescendo Vol. II 1975 · GNP Crescendo Records The Tatum Group Masterpieces 1975 · Pablo … Again! – The Tatum Group Masterpieces 1976 · Pablo Lasting Impressions 1979 · Giants of Jazz Records Live At The Crescendo 1986 · Live · Vogue The Best Of Art Tatum 1987 · Pablo Records Solos 1937 & Classic Piano Solos 1988 · Forlane In Private 1991 · Fresh Sound Records Rare Test Pressings and Transcriptions 1932–1951 1992 · Recording Arts California Melodies 1994 · Memphis Archives The Art of Tatum 1995 · Jazz Life The Art of Tatum 1995 · Live · Living Era Begin the Beguine 2000 Get Happy 2000 · Past Perfect Silver Line Midnite Jazz & Blues: Art's Blues 2000 · Weton‐Wesgram The Complete Jazz Chronicle Solo Sessions + 2000 · Storyville Records Swings 2002 · High Definition Jazz BD jazz n°16: Art Tatum / Frédérik Salsedo "Le concert idéal" 2003 · Nocturne The Album 2006 The Tatum Group Masterpieces 2006 · JVC Piano Starts Here: Live at The Shrine (Zenph Re-Performance) 2008 · Live · Sony Classical Dwn Beat (The Ben Webster-Art Tatum quartet) 2009 · Jazz Beat Blue Skies 2025 · Sunset Blvd Records All That Jazz, Vol. 103: Piano Giant – Art Tatum Live in Hollywood and in Studio

Jazz Giants

Piano Solo Private Sessions October 1952 · Live

Also plays on

Albums where Art Tatum is credited as a sideman

2001	Portrait — Coleman Hawkins	piano
2001	Jazz Seen — Till Brönner	piano

Awards

1973 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance
1977 Grammy Hall of Fame
1988 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

Historic 78 rpm records

FLYING HOME ART TATUM TRIO · Goodman · Hampton archive.org ↗
ROSE ROOM Barney Bigard · Sidney Catlett · Art Tatum · Al Casey · Oscar… archive.org ↗
Art Tatum Art Tatum · James · Swift · Tatum · Kahn · Jones · Bob Carleton ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
Art Tatum TRIO Tiny Grimes · ART TATUM TRIO · Connelly · Slam Stewart · Art Tatum ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
BOOGIE ART TATUM TRIO · Art Tatum · Tiny Grimes · Slam Stewart · 1944 archive.org ↗
BOOGIE ART TATUM TRIO · Art Tatum · Tiny Grimes · Slam Stewart · 1944 archive.org ↗
MAN I LOVE ART TATUM TRIO · ART TATUM · TINY GRIMES · SLAM STEWART · 1944 archive.org ↗
Sweet Marijuana Brown Barney Bigard Sextet · Joe Thomas · Barney Bigard · Art Tatum · Stan… · 1945 archive.org ↗

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Frequently asked questions

What instrument did Art Tatum play?

Art Tatum is known for playing piano.

When and where was Art Tatum born?

Art Tatum was born 13 October 1909 in Toledo.

What are Art Tatum's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Decca Presents Art Tatum in an Album of Piano Solos (1940), Piano solos (1944), Art Tatum (1950) and Piano Solos Vol. 2 (1950).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.