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Too Marvelous for Words: The Life and Genius of Art Tatum Reprint Edition
Author(s): James Lester (Author)
- Publisher: Oxford University Press
- Publication Date: July 13, 1995
- Edition: Reprint
- Language: English
- Print length: 272 pages
- ISBN-10: 0195096401
- ISBN-13: 9780195096408
Book Description
Now, in Too Marvelous For Words, James Lester provides the first full-length biography of the greatest virtuoso performer in the history of jazz. Before this volume, little was known about Tatum, even among jazz afficionados. What were his origins, who taught him and who provided early pianistic influences, how did he break into the jazz field, what role did he play in the development of other jazz players, and what was he like when he wasn’t playing? To answer these questions, Lester has conducted almost a hundred interviews for this book, with surviving family, childhood friends, schoolteachers, and the famous jazz musicians who played with him or knew him. Lester creates a memorable portrait of this unique musician and of the vibrant jazz world of the 1930s and 1940s, capturing the complexity and vitality of this remarkable performer. Tatum, who was virtually blind, suffering between 70% and 90% visual impairment, emerges as cheerful, fun-loving, energetic and out-going, with none of the demonic self-destructiveness that seemed to haunt such jazz greats as Charlie Parker or Billie Holiday. He often joked about his blindness, but did not like it mentioned as a handicap and preferred to pre-plan his entrance to the piano in a club, rather than have someone lead him there. He was simply inexhaustible and had a life-long habit of staying up all night after a gig, usually seeking an after-hours club in which to listen and play until daybreak. Lester also reveals that Tatum was generous with younger players, but his extraordinary technical brilliance often devastated them. No less a talent than Oscar Peterson remembers that after first hearing Tatum, “I gave up the piano for two solid months, and I had crying fits at night.” And Les Paul remarked that after hearing Tatum for the first time, he quit piano completely and began playing guitar. Perhaps most important, Lester provides a thorough, knowledgeable discussion of Tatum’s music, from his early influences, such as stride pianist Fats Waller, to his mature style in which Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Waller, and Earl Hines all became grist for his harmonic mill.
From unexceptional origins in Toledo, Ohio, Art Tatum evolved into a world-class musician whose importance in jazz is comparable to Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker and whose command of the piano captured the admiration of Horowitz and Paderewski. Too Marvelous For Words is the first full portrait of this extraordinary musical genius.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Well documented, full of interesting anecdotes, and will give readers valuable insight into the life of this incredible musician.”–The Japan Times
“Lester carefully separates verifiable information from the abundant fancy about Tatum’s relationships and early career; he also excitingly depicts the New York City jazz scene during the rise of be-bop and the enormously rich activity of the 1930s and ’40s.”–Publishers Weekly
“A welcome addition to the canon of jazz biographies.”–Quarterly Black Review of Books
“An extremely valuable addition to jazz studies.”–Booklist
“The only major biography about jazz pianist Art Tatum, one of the most important keyboardists of the twentieth century….Full of eyewitness accounts of Tatum’s superhuman command of the piano by many jazz legends, including Oscar Peterson, Fats Waller Les Paul, and Teddy Wilson….A welcome addition to the canon of jazz biographies.”–Quarterly Black Review of Books
“Besides impressions of Tatum, readers will absorb a sense of the times in which he grew, when the jazz scene was so very different from today’s glitzy, academic, and often manicured world….What a relief to finally have it, this readable, personable work.”–Toledo Blade
“Lester is perceptive and original….Among the spate of jazz biographies that have been inflicted upon us in recent years, Too Marvelous for Words stands out from the crowd. Just like Art Tatum.”–The Washington Post
“Mr. Lester has wrtten not only a detailed study of his subject’s career and musical influence but a vivid portrayal of the American jazz ferment of the 1930s and ’40s….Well-organized and written with clarity, sensitivity and humor.”–The Baltimore Sun
“Too Marvelous for Words is an important work. It is a much-needed reminder of what a Mount Everest Tatum was, is and always will be on the jazz scene.”–The Hartford Courant
