RALEIGH -- Jazz pianist Art Tatum is generally deemed superior to contemporaries such as Fats Waller, but Tatum never achieved Waller’s wider appeal, or that of many other black jazz musicians of the 1930s and 1940s.
Durham-based Zenph Sound Innovations wants to change all that with its unusual stage presentation, “Art Tatum: Piano Starts Here.” The production tells his life and features live performances of his music – by Tatum himself.
This is possible through Zenph’s innovative technology that feeds Tatum’s original recordings into software that captures not only the notes but the tone and dynamic range from key pressure and foot pedal. The results are played on a concert grand rigged to reproduce those nuances with brilliance and subtlety, unlike a player piano’s unvarying levels. The effect is stunning.
Zenph vice president Jeffrey B. McIntyre and sound engineer Eric Hirsh have devised a show employing a fictional Harlem jazz club owner, Doc Hanley, who is closing up after 32 years. He reminisces about Tatum, telling colorful anecdotes about getting to know the young, blind musician after Tatum arrived in New York City from Toledo.
Hanley chronicles Tatum’s dramatic impact on fans and fellow musicians, interspersed with “re-performances” on the club’s piano, including astoundingly intricate and densely layered renderings of “St. Louis Blues” and “Tea for Two.” The highlight is Hanley’s description of an intense “cutting” contest, wherein Tatum bests other noted pianists with the mind-boggling speed of “Tiger Rag.”
Director Jay O’Berski has Trevor Johnson play Hanley with a gregarious, sly persona. Johnson engagingly interacts with the audience, especially those seated at bar tables up front, to whom he serves beer and soda. Johnson impresses with his stamina and memory over the two-act, two-hour production, working his few faltering moments into Hanley’s garrulous character.
A huge screen on which pertinent images are projected backs the believably scruffy club setting. Rebecca S. Buck’s lighting gives the piano a magical glow but often makes the club atmosphere too dim. Seeing the piano keys ripple and dance sheds light on what made Tatum unique, but the piano’s position blocks that view from half the audience.
The script is uneven, attempting historical perspective on racism and musicians’ addictions while skimping on many details of Tatum’s life and career. Nevertheless, the production is strongly recommended for all music lovers, jazz and otherwise, who should be intrigued enough to explore more about this special artist’s legacy, now so lovingly preserved with Zenph’s cutting-edge engineering.
