| God Is in the House | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Live album by | |
| Released | 1973 |
| Recorded | November 11, 1940, March 7, July 26–27, September 16 1941 |
| Venue | Clubs in Harlem, New York City |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Label | Onyx |
| Producer | Jerry Newman, Don Schlitten |
God Is in the House is an album by pianist Art Tatum. It is a collection of informally recorded club performances from 1940 and 1941, and was first released by Onyx Records in 1973. It won two Grammy Awards.
Jerry Newman was a student and jazz fan in New York City. [1] He used a disc recorder and acetate discs to informally record pianist Art Tatum playing in clubs in Harlem in 1940 and 1941. [2] [3]
Three of the performances are Tatum playing solo on November 11, 1940. [1] On March 7, 1941, he was recorded with Reuben Harris hitting whiskbrooms against a suitcase. [1] [3] On July 26 of the same year, further duets, this time with Chocolate Williams on bass and vocals, were recorded; Tatum also sang on two of the pieces – "Knockin' Myself Out" and "Toledo Blues". [1] "There'll Be Some Changes Made", with Williams and vocalist Ollie Potter, was made the following day. [1] The trio of Tatum, trumpeter Frankie Newton, and bassist Ebenezer Paul was recorded playing "Lady Be Good" and "Sweet Georgia Brown" on September 16. [1]
The title of the album comes from a story involving Tatum and fellow pianist Fats Waller. [2] When Waller was playing in a club one night and saw Tatum walk in, he announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, I play the piano, but God is in the house tonight." [2] The album was released on LP by Onyx Records in 1973, [2] and was produced by Newman and Don Schlitten. [4] HighNote Records issued a CD version in 1998. [2]
Tatum, who died in 1956, [5] was awarded the 1973 Grammy for Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist for his performances on the album. [6] Dan Morgenstern won the Grammy Award for Best Album Notes. [6]
Critic Doug Ramsey wrote in 2015: "I'm recommending it now out of concern that some of you may have deprived yourselves of these indispensable snapshots of Tatum's genius." [2] The AllMusic reviewer commented that the recordings had higher audio quality than other Newman releases, and described the album as "Highly recommended." [3]
Side one
Side two
Source: [4]
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