Holy Toledo

Fats Waller was a magnificent pianist. A true jazz great. Wherever he played people would come from miles around to see him. So when one night Art Tatum wlked in the club where Fats was playing, and Fats responded to his presence by saying "God is in the house tonight" it meant something. Art Tatum was not just great, he was transcendent. Praise for Art Tatum abounds. In 'Art Tatum ; The Art Of Jazz Piano' (3)Les Paul struggles to express his awe..." I can take a piano roll, and slow it down... real slow, and then you still can't figure out how he did it!" Raised right here in Toledo, Art became an undeniable Jazz legend. As his prowess was unleashed upon the planet people walked away from the piano and chose different instruments with which to express themselves. Many of these same artists exhibited greatness in their own right. But not on the piano, not after hearing Art. Jazz is an American Art form. We ought to have pride in it. Art is a hometown hero. We ought to have pride in him. Well, he was from Toledo and so am I, so I thought I'ld go have a look at the historic landmark where Art spent the bulk of his childhood. Take some pictures and just sort of soak in the vibe. I could not have been more dissapointed. Mrs. Ernistine Allen, a neighbor of the Tatums', has said "this was a respectable, middle- class neighborhood at the time," and that "Considering the times, they lived well- they had a very neat, clean house, and the kids were always well-dressed and they were very neat, the yard was always impeccably groomed and everything."(2) The Tatums took pride in their home as they were raising a young genius. Certainly we as a city can take that same pride after receiving the gift that was Art? In front of the house that sits at 1123 City Park Avenue is an Historical Marker. It says
Side A : "Art Tatum"
Art Tatum was born in Toledo on October 13, 1909, the son of Arthur Tatum, Sr. and Mildred Hoskins Tatum. Despite being blind in one eye and only partially sighted in the other, he became one of the greatest jazz pianists of his era. To deal with his sight disability, he attended the Ohio State School for the Blind in Columbus from 1918-1920. He came from a musical family and had some formal training at the Toledo School of Music, but was largely self-taught. Influenced by famed Fats Waller, Tatum began playing his music on a local radio station at age 18 and then lived in Chicago, New York City, Cleveland, and Los Angeles, playing and recording extensively both as a soloist and in small groups. His ability to improvise set him apart as a musical genius. Tatum died in November 1956 and was named to the Jazz Hall of Fame in 1983.(4) It's one of over a thousand such markers spread throughout the state(4). These markers delineate areas of historical significance in Ohio's development. Once again, these markers ought to be a source of pride.

Behind the shiny tribute to Toledo's famous son is a travesty. Standing where it once stood proudly is a house in disrepair. This local landmark, national landmark, this precious piece of our heritage, is ill-tended and seemingly forgotten. This building (which should be a museum!) is boarded up on the ground floor, and the windows on the second floor are broken. Gutters are falling off and the roof almost certainly is full of leaks. How can this be? Is it just us? Or has the entire Nation forgotten the beautiful music created through our unique circumstance? In this age of image-driven, corporate musical product, is there no room for true heartfelt expression? Has our collective attention span descended to the point where jazz, our lovely jazz, simply is out of our reach? The Hand of God Through film we can watch Tatum's magical hands flying in a blur over the keys... Through recordings we can begin to grasp his genius. We, the remaining appreciative of this artist, the remaining appreciative of this art form, have a responsibilty. We must be ambassadors to the masses. We needn't be the next big thing. We needn't even be musicians. What we must do is support talented musicians on a local level. We must do away with the politics that encourage mediocrity. And we must raise our voices in tribute toward greatness. How many true artists are languishing because of an audience that hasn't taken the time to appreciate what they are being offered? In Duke Ellington's own words "Friends had been talking about him, telling me how terrific he was, yet I was unprepared for what I heard. I immediately began telling him that he should be in New York." " I knew that once in New York he would be drawn into the Gladiator scene with some real bad cats. I could just see The Lion, cigar in the corner of his mouth, standing over him while he played, and on the verge of saying '"Get up! I'll show you how it is supposed to go!"".(2) Touring musicians gave one another encouragement. To me it seems that there was a healthy sense of competition. Greatness seeking out greatness. And to me it seems that now there is a fear of greatness. Soft safe mediocrity seeking more of the same. We must have another hero. Playing for the music's sake. Someone to make us feel the way we felt before and to lead others into the fold. This is our music. Meanwhile there it sits. Art's house, Our house. As a silent reminder of our apathy..

Bibliography
· (1) Cover Photo Taken by Al Ehrenfried
· (2) Too Marvelous for Words ; The Life and Genius of Art Tatum.
· (3) Art Tatum ; The Art of Jazz Piano.
· (4) Ohio Historical Markers Official Site.
· (5) Photographs taken by author

Ronald M Zuchowski