Art Tatum
American jazz pianist
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“Art Tatum.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/art-tatum/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.
Art Tatum. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/art-tatum/
“Art Tatum.” thisDay. Accessed October 13, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/art-tatum/.
Who was Art Tatum?
Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever. Tatum grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where he began playing piano professionally and had his own radio program, rebroadcast nationwide, while still in his teens. From early in his career, fellow musicians acclaimed Tatum's technical ability as extraordinary. Tatum also extended jazz piano's vocabulary and boundaries far beyond his initial stride influences, and established new ground through innovative use of reharmonization, voicing, and bitonality. In that decade, he settled into a pattern he followed for most of his career – paid performances followed by long after-hours playing, all accompanied by prodigious alcohol consumption. He was said to be more spontaneous and creative in such venues, and although the drinking did not hinder his playing, it did damage his health.
Historical significance
He left Toledo in 1932 and had residencies as a solo pianist at clubs in major urban centers including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Cite this page
“Art Tatum.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/art-tatum/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.
Art Tatum. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/art-tatum/
“Art Tatum.” thisDay. Accessed October 13, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/art-tatum/.