Art Tatum - Art Tatum Live 1934-1944

This is the first of an 8-CD, 160-track set, comprised primarily of previously unissued performances by the legendary jazz pianist ART TATUM. This 74-minute, 21-track CD covers the years 1934 (the first year Tatum recorded) to 1944, with Tatum performing in solo, trio and quartet contexts. Most of the music (which is from the 40's) was produced for the Armed Forces Radio Service, special radio broadcasts made for the U.S. military during W.W.II. Besides the 8 solo tunes, there are early tracks with Tatum's own famous trio (TINY GRIMES on guitar and bassist SLAM STEWART), plus 5 tunes with the legendary jazz guitarist LES PAUL. The discovery of this unknown music by one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time is the musical equivalent of finding previously unpublished plays by William Shakespeare. VERY RARE RECORDINGS FROM A TRUE JAZZ LEGEND, INCLUDING SEVEN TRACKS NEVER COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE BEFORE!