Why Is Art Tatum Important

Art Tatum was only a few musician that can able to any style of music and somehow made it his own. He was considered by his colleague and fans as a great virtuoso in piano. The problem is that many critics had a hard time accepting him as a jazz player because of the elaborateness and improvisation he put in all his solos. But his talents speak for itself as he was recognized by everyone in the jazz community as one of the best jazz pianist around. He often collaborate and played with other jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Count Basie. The thing that made him famous was his jazz piano style, stride. But he was really known for the way that he explored harmonic complexities and unusual chord progressions. An example