Dvorak: Variations on Humoresque
What could you achieve if you didn’t place any limitations on yourself? Jazz pianist Art Tatum— called “the eighth wonder of the world” by Count Basie—is a perfect example of a man who knew no boundaries.
Though legally blind, Tatum expressed an interest in the piano as a youngster. He listened to the music of Fats Waller and Lee Sims on the radio for hours, hoping that someday he would be able to perform as well as they did. Of course, that meant he’d have to learn to play, but unfortunately, like many families in the 1920's, his had few resources to spend on music lessons. After playing by ear for many years (they say he had perfect pitch and an incredible memory) he had formal piano lessons at the age of 15 with Overton G. Rainey at the Toledo Ohio School of Music. Mr. Rainey taught the classical tradition, as he did not improvise and discouraged his students from playing jazz. As Tatum neared adolescence, he devised his own method for learning the instrument.
He persuaded friends to escort him to a local jazz club, where he was given permission to sit at the player piano. As the music played, Tatum kept his fingers hovering lightly over the falling keys, feeling his way through the songs. He practiced late into the night, as often as he could—in spite of his age, his schoolwork, and his part-time job. Learning to play piano in this manner was difficult, but not just because he was blind.
What Tatum didn’t realize was that player piano rolls of that era were the result of two pianists playing together. He was learning to play with two hands what normally took four. As a result, he developed an incredible dexterity that enabled him to master the piano.
Even though this story starts in the 1920’s, we are still amazed by Art Tatum’s skill and innovation one hundred years later. Art was unaware of his limitations. He did not know he was attempting the impossible; he just did the impossible. If it's true that “necessity is the mother of invention,” then Art reminds us that not knowing something is sometimes the father of innovation.
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