The blazingly fast Art Tatum burning up the keys on this classic track originally recorded for the Comet label in 1944 for an excellent album set of three 12″ records. Unfortunately, the Comet pressing is not great and the sound is a bit grainy and noisy.
Luckily, Dial saw fit to reissue this a few years later with a much nicer pressing. Oddly – this Dial reissue is a 10″ 78 rpm disc format rather than 12″ disc. The format is called a “Standard Groove Longer Playing Record” and somehow they fit nearly four and a half minutes of music on a standard 10″ disc!
Tatum is zooming at 110% throughout this delightful treat of a track – Racing along like a speeding bullet, he whizzes and gallops up and down the keyboard, driving the rhythm section to at times seem a bit out of breath! Stewart and Grimes both get in energetic solos of their own, with Grimes coming the closest to matching Tatum’s frantic and masterful pace.
Recorded in New York City on May 1, 1944.
Originally released as Comet T-2.
Reissued in 1949 as Dial 1036.
Credits:
Art Tatum – piano
Tiny Grimes – guitar
Slam Stewart – bass