Tatum, of course was the master. He was Mr. Piano. The first time I heard a Tatum record--I think it was Tiger Rag"--I thought it was at least three pianists.
Garland was far from the only listener who was convinced that Art Tatum's 1933 recording of Tiger Rag" was the work of more than one pianist--or the product of multiple recording. Seventy-five years later, Tiger Rag" and other Tatum masterpieces are recreated with digital wizardry in sound exponentially more pristine than that of the 78 rpm shellac or the LP and CD reissues of later decades. They are no less astonishing, but I am not persuaded by the gee-whiz promotion surrounding the project that they are more so.
After decades of hearing the Tatum recordings with all of their flaws, I'm not sure whether I find the computerized versions too perfect, too smoothed-out. Maybe that's simply a matter of experience having wired my brain to expect what my ears have always heard. My recommendation to anyone wanting to experience Tatum for the first time is to listen to him directly before you meet him channeled through the medium of the computerized piano. Either way, the first time you hear Tatum's Tiger Rag," you may be as incredulous as was the young Red Garland.
For a review of a New York stage show inspired by the Zenph re-performance of Tatum, see Marc Myers' JazzWax.
The Red Garland quote is from a chapter in this book.