Search This Blog

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Jazzy Paper Designs Challenge #7: Art Tatum





Good morning! Tenia has a really cool challenge for us this week!
The colors of our inspiration piece are Black, Grey and Ivory. This turns out to be a perfect combination for a wedding I'm attending later this month. These are their colors!
The Jazzy Inspiration piece is this album cover for Art Tatum.

I used Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Shapeabilities for the medallion and Scalloped Edge Frameabilities for the frame. The DP is Paper Studio.

We are being sponsored this week by Cosmo Cricket! The Jazzy winner will receive the Material Girl collection pictured here. You have until May 15th to participate. So join in the fun!

Arthur "Art" Tatum Jr. (October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso. He was nearly blind since childhood. Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. Critic Scott Yanow wrote, "Tatum's quick reflexes and boundless imagination kept his improvisations filled with fresh (and sometimes futuristic) ideas that put him way ahead of his contemporaries ... Art Tatum's recordings still have the ability to scare modern pianists." A child prodigy with perfect pitch, Tatum learned to play by ear, picking out church hymns by the age of three, learning tunes from the radio and copying piano-roll recordings his mother owned. He developed an incredibly fast playing style, without losing accuracy. Tatum built upon stride and classical piano influences to develop a novel and unique piano style. He introduced a strong, swinging pulse to jazz piano, highlighted with spectacular cadenzas that swept across the entire keyboard. Here's a sample of his music: Tatum

Have a great day!