From Resonance Records, Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings is a previously unissued 3-LP collection of recordings from jazz icon and virtuosic pianist, Art Tatum, captured live at the Blue Note jazz club in Chicago in March of 1953 with guitarist Everett Barksdale and bassist Slam Stewart. Transferred from the original tape reels and mastered for LP and CD and containing a whopping nearly 3 hours of never-before-heard Art Tatum captured in an intimate setting at the height of his powers with his longtime trio, the deluxe, limited-edition 180-gram 3-LP gatefold set (and 3-CD set) includes rare photos and memorabilia from Herman Leonard, Bob Parent and the Holzfeind family archives (owners of the Blue Note jazz club in Chicago); plus liner notes from Columbia University professor and author, Brent Hayes Edwards; as well as statements from Ahmad Jamal, Sonny Rollins, Monty Alexander, ELEW, Spike Wilner, Johnny O’Neal, Michael Weiss and Terry Gibbs.
Art Tatum. Photo Courtesy of William P. Gottlieb
Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Fund Collection; Music Division, Library of Congress
Tatum and his band are heard in stellar form on these recordings, which are a major addition to the small group of extant live performances by the keyboard maestro, who died in 1956. The pianist, who also plays several audience-requested solos, unleashes every staggering feature of his formidable technique.
The album’s title is drawn from an essay by critic Gary Giddins in his 1998 book Visions of Jazz that describes the master’s keyboard attack: “Those magnificent arpeggios, runs and flurries, those supersonic turnbacks and contrary figures and thumb-driven bass walks…are the nerve center of his art, the jewels in his treasure box.”
CD Track Listing
CD 1
Aug. 16, 1953
1. Night and Day (4:03)
2. Where or When (5:40)
3. On the Sunny Side of the Street (3:23)
4. Don’t Blame Me (4:56)
5. Soft Winds (3:27)
6. These Foolish Things (3:25)
7. Flying Home (1:41)
8. Memories of You (5:33)
9. What Does It Take (4:16)
10. Tenderly (5:14)
11. Crazy Rhythm (3:21)
12. The Man I Love (5:26)
13. Tea for Two (3:35)
Art Tatum and Slam Stewart (Bob Parent)
CD 2
Aug. 16, 1953
1. I Cover the Waterfront (4:39)
2. Body and Soul (6:21)
3. Laura (5:42)
4. Humoresque (4:33)
5. Begin the Beguine (3:27)
6. There Will Never Be Another You / September Song (5:04)
Aug. 21, 1953
7. Just One of Those Things (6:03)
8. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (4:39)
9. St. Louis Blues (4:12)
10. After You’ve Gone (5:23)
11. Someone To Watch Over Me (4:58)
12. Would You Like To Take A Walk? (5:00)
CD 3
Aug. 21, 1953
1. Elegy (4:15)
2. Sweet Lorraine (4:40)
3. Out of Nowhere (3:48)
Aug. 28, 1953
4. Indiana (3:02)
5. Tabu (2:50)
6. Judy (6:05)
7. Lover (4:42)
8. Dark Eyes (4:34)
9. Stompin’ at the Savoy (4:35)
10. If (5:57)
11. Stardust (5:00)
12. Air Mail Special (4:12)
13. I’ve Got the World on A String (3:41)
14. The Kerry Dance (1:53)
Personnel:
Art Tatum – piano
Slam Stewart – bass
Everett Barksdale – guitar