[Dixielandjazz] Art Tatum Still King

[Hoog, Steve]

Eldar Djangirov is now living in Kansas City, studying with Kim Park since
age 11.  He's a great kid, eager to learn from anyone, loves jazz, and knows
what he's playing from a theory standpoint, which is the amazing thing to
me.  He does tend to play flash when he gets into performance situations,
but let's write that off as youthful excess, eh?  He has a great feel for
slower stuff too.  It's been great watching him develop the past few years,
and great to read a reasonably good review of his playing!

steve 

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen Barbone [mailto:barbonestreet at earthlink.net]
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2003 4:25 PM
To: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Art Tatum Still King


Perhaps not quite OKOM, but apparently Art Tatum is still King. Note the
last line of the review for a sentiment many of us agree with totally.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

June 20, 2003 - New York Times

Flattery in Imitation, but Only So Far

By STEPHEN HOLDEN

Memories of Art Tatum wafted through Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College on
Wednesday evening as eight virtuosos of the jazz keyboard gathered for a
musical summit meeting called "Piano Starts Here."

The name evokes the mystique of Tatum, who at his death in 1956 left
many believing that no one would ever surpass him in speed and
inventiveness. As
one musician after another flaunted technique that challenged the
supremacy of the master, the degree to which Tatum's superhuman velocity
has been
institutionalized became clear. But the supreme self-containment,
clarity and lightness of touch that were hallmarks of Tatum's style were
in shorter supply.

The evening was produced for the JVC Jazz Festival by Ted Rosenthal, a
superb all-around technician who came to prominence after winning the
second annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition in
1988. The proceeds will benefit the Jazz Foundation of America, which
aids needy musicians in their later years. Each performer had two or
three numbers; about a third were piano duets. Two alternating rhythm
sections supplied drum and bass underpinnings when needed.

Kenny Barron, who opened the evening, came the closest to displaying a
Tatumesque stateliness and paid homage to his forerunner with a version
of "For
Heaven's Sake," whose feathery connective runs seemed to vanish into the
mist. Many of the other players could be divided roughly into two camps.
On one side were those like Bill Charlap and Kenny Werner, who made the
piano sing. On the other were Joey Calderazzo (who works with Branford
Marsalis and Michael Brecker), who emphasized sweaty muscularity; Eldar
Djangirov, a 16-year-old prodigy from Kyrgyzstan in the former Soviet
Union, who played the fastest; and the Brazilian pianist Eliane Elias,
who favors thickly textured, somewhat monochromatic pounding.

Mr. Calderazzo's "Just One of Those of Things" turned the Cole Porter
gem into an acoustic piano equivalent of postbop heavy metal. For sheer
speed and bounce, nothing topped Mr. Djangirov's amazingly fleet and
dexterous "Caravan." The problem with such athleticism is that it tends
to diminish emotional expression.

The most rewarding performances balanced melodicism and muscle-flexing.
Few can match the speed and precision of Cedar Walton, who performed a
piece by J. J. Johnson along with an original samba (the concert's only
full-scale plunge into Latin jazz). But the playing flashed with
personality every time he inserted an impulsive sunburst of note
clusters.

The warmest moments belonged to Mr. Werner, whose homage to Bill Evans
infused the evening with its dreamiest moments, and Mr. Charlap, with
his spare, probing medley of two Michel Legrand tunes. Mr. Charlap
demonstrated how a few notes, perfectly chosen, can carry more weight
than 10 times as many dashed off in an acrobatic display.


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