I’m turning away from the rants and blogs that incite to riot and warn of impending doom. It’s not that I disagree, it’s rather that I am compelled to turn back to life and my aesthetic.

Unwound last evening listening to the Art Tatum Trio. A colleague’s Dad was clearing out the effluvia and I ended up with two cardboard boxes of 78s and a smattering of 45s.  The Tatum was in a 12 inch album, (pictured above) and there were actually two sets of records inside the cardboard cover. One set, two 12 inch discs, was the Asch album, as should be. The other was on the Carousel label, and was a three record set, except that one disc had a bite out of it.

I sat back and enjoyed my 8 sides of Tatum Trio. I’m playing back on a mostly restored 1960 Philco Console. The sound was a bit better on the Asch set than on the Carousel. The records are not in the best of shape. They could use a good cleaning. I guess it’s time to set up the record cleaning gear! From a wear perspective, they’re not too bad. Certainly, they’ve not been played to death.

Musically, well, it’s Art Tatum. The liner notes mentions the genius of Art Tatum, and also “his famous feather-in-the-breeze style.” I find that in the trio recordings, the genius part is somewhat submerged. Tatum’s influence had at least as much to do with his rhythmic muscle and the persistent use of dissonance (clusters) as it did with his virtuosity per se. This is not to say that the group recordings don’t swing or aren’t dissonant. As an aggregate, Tatum himself is mostly on display with his feathers in the breeze. I confess I prefer music that runs deep over that with a shimmering, sparkly surface. It is most enjoyable when you get both in one package. Some of the Tatum recordings are in this latter most sublime category. These 78s, meant to provide me with relaxation after a day of editing and weed-whacking, certainly did that. I was not looking to be stopped dead in my tracks and forced to sit down and listen. 

The goal was to set aside the turmoil in mind about the economy, the government, the polls, the pundits, the bloggers, the Facebook friends and groups, the profiles, the Linkedin and BranchOut, the latest fantasy and its implications, and the reawakening of the great educational beast.

So for that, thanks to Art (and art). Mission accomplished.