[Leica] Messrs Tatum, Waller and Horowitz on the keys

[abridge at gmail.com (Adam Bridge)]

I remember Steinway making uprights about 30 years or so ago - but I'm
not aware that they do it today.

I wonder how much of Tatum's music was adapted to the instruments on
which they performed on a regular basis. This is NOT to denigrate in
any way the extraordinary music they created, just that they often had
to perform on instruments that didn't even have 88 keys. I think they
often had to perform on 60 key instruments although I'm uncertain
about how I know this. Maybe the Ken Burns "Jazz" although I don't
think so.

Years ago in The New Yorker (I'm thinking about 1976 or so) was an
article about a female concert pianist who experienced some
"interesting" instruments on tour. I've thought about it often and I
think it's finally time to hit the library and search it out.

On 5/29/05, Afterswift@aol.com <Afterswift@aol.com> wrote:
> In a message dated 5/29/05 9:46:21 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
> lug-request@leica-users.org writes:
> True...But his peer (Art Tatum) surely played on more than a few beat up
> uprights...as did Fats Waller.
> ------------------------------------------------
> Tatum and Waller often played in combos. Also, their music took advantage 
> of
> improvisation and unexpected mode shifts. They created the music more than
> their instruments. But on the classical side, Horowitz needed the Steinway 
> -- he
> mostly played his own wherever he performed -- for volume and power and
> well-tuned to work with an orchestra. However, I doubt whether Tatum and 
> Waller
> would have used less than an ideal instrument when they recorded. I 
> believe that
> Steinway also makes uprights.
> 
> Bob
> 
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