4. Art Tatum at Val's in the Alley t was Art Tatum's home for a drink. away from home. He "They had a good piano in I loved the old upright piano there," wrote Basie. "That's there. He developed much of the part I will never forget his piano genius there and he because I made the mistake of returned time after time, even sitting down at that piano. after he became world famous That's when I got my as the unchallenged champion personal introduction to a ofthe jazz piano. keyboard monster by the It was called Val's in the name of Art Tatum." Alley. It was an after-hours Basie said he didn't know joint operated by a man named why he sat down at that piano. Milo Valentine and was "The band had just stopped in located at the rear of several to get a little taste and a little stores on the north side of snack. The piano was there, Cedar Avenue near East 86th just sitting there, not bothering Street in Cleveland. Veteran anybody. I don't know what Cleveland saxophonist Andy made me do it. I went over Anderson said, "It was a small there and started bothering spot. I guess it held about 50 that piano. I just started or 60 people, had small aisles, fooling around with it, and a little bar for beer, a piano, then I started playing. What and .Art." did I do that for? That was just asking for trouble!" Duke Ellington, in his Art Tatum autobiography Music is My That's exactly what he got. Mistress, recalled going to Val' s, "offan alley that was Somebody went out and found Tatum. Basie said, "They off another alley" to hear Tatum play. Ellington said, brought him in there, and I can still see him and that way "Val's had a piano that was so old and beat-up that he had ofwalking on his toes with his head kind oftilted." Tatum had to learn to play everything up toward the Tatum sat down at the piano, like a gladiator protecting treble end. But it had a most compelling sound and the his turf, and musically vanquished the intruder. When action was obviously justright because Tatum loved that Tatum started playing, Basie said he felt like a rank piano." amateur. He suddenly realized this little bar in Cleveland One time, while listening to Tatum play, Ellington was Tatum's hangout, his place, his personal kingdom­ said he was too overwhelmed to express his feelings. not to be violated by some young count. Born in Toledo October 13 , 1909, Tatum had Basie said, "He was just off somewhere waiting for developed a local reputation as an outstanding pianist somebody to come in there and start messing with that while he was still a teenager. At the age of 18, he piano, someone dumb enough to do something like that, played on a radio program on Toledo's WSPD. He somebody like Basie, in there showing off, because there came to Cleveland in 1928 at the age of 19 and soon were a couple of good-looking girls in the place." began playing at the Prohibition Era after-hours joint. Basie said he felt like a boxer who looked up and Paul Whiteman, the misnamed "King of Jazz," first suddenly saw heavyweight champion Joe Louis corning heard Tatum at Val's in the Alley in 1929 and was so through the ropes at him. "I didn't have any idea 1 was impressed that he persuaded Tatum to go to New York, on Tatum's stomping ground," wrote Basie. To rub a but, according to Rex Stewart (in the October 20, 1966 little more salt into Basie' s already wounded ego, one of edition ofDownBeat magazine), Tatum quickly became the girls at the bar said later, "I could have told you." homesick and returned to Val's in the Alley in Cleveland. There were two sequels to Basie' s embarrassing welcome to Cleveland. Count Basie's embarrassment In 1943 he married a girl from Cleveland, Katy "I never will forget what happened to me," wrote Morgan. They remained devoted for 40 years until her Count Basie in his autobiography, GoodMorning Blues. death, and their only child, Diane, was born in Cleveland. Basie said it happened when he was touring with the In the late 1940s, when Basie had become one ofthe Benny Moten band in the early 1930s. After playing a most respected bandleaders and piano players in jazz, he date in Cleveland, the band members stopped at Val's was playing with his band in Los Angeles. Other Art Tatun{at Val's in the Alley 25 mUSICians, including Buddy Rich far ahead ofearlier artists." Feather and Tommy Dorsey, were sitting in. also said Tatum was "the greatest Basie recalled, "The joint was really soloist in jazz history, regardless of jumping." As he was playing, Basie instrument. " felt someone tap him on the shoulder Tatum made his first records in and say, "Hey, Base, what key you New York March 21 , 1933. There playin' in?" It was Tatum. Basie were four piano solos: "Tea For said, "Don't give a damn what key Two," "St. Louis Blues," we're playing in! You ain't gonna Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady" play!" Basie ran Tatum off his and "Tiger Rag." stage, thinking to himself, "I wasn't about to let that cat take over and Tatum returns to Val's disgrace me. He knew it. All he In early 1935, Tatum returned to could do was laugh." In a friendly Cleveland and played at a variety of way, Basie fmally got even for that places here. "As famous as he night years earlier when he was became," wrote Ellington, "he would embarrassed by Tatum at Val's in always return to Val's in the Alley the Alley in Cleveland. to play that piano. When he was playing the RKO Palace in Goes to New York City Cleveland, he would rush out and At the urging of the musicians make a dash for Val's after doing who had heard him play in four or five shows a day. It was the Cleveland, Tatum finally got up the Count Basie and Art Tatum same when he worked one of the nerve to return to New York in in later years sharing a piano plush hotels in Cleveland. He would 1931. Popular singer Adelaide Hall end up sitting in Val's and playing heard him and hired him as her accompanist. The nearly for kicks all night." When he was doing network radio blind pianist quickly memorized her complicated scores. broadcasts from Cleveland's WTAM, the station quickly After his first appearance with Hall, his amazing skill learned that it was wise to send somebody out to Val's to quickly became known to the best piano players in New be sure the almost-blind Tatum got to the studio in time. York. The reigning kings, Fats Waller, Willie "The Veteran Cleveland pianist Chick Chaiken recalled all Lion" Smith and James P. Johnson, invited him to ajam the Cleveland jazz musicians flocked to the Cedar session the following night. By all accounts, Tatum Avenue after-hours joint to hear Tatum and to buy him outclassed all of them. Waller was quoted as saying, beers as he played the old upright through the night. "That Tatum, he was just too good! He had too much Rex Stewart wrote, "Tatum's leisure hours began technique. When that man turns on the powerhouse, when almost everyone else was asleep, at 4 a.m. or so. don't no one play him down. He sounds like a brass He liked to sit and talk, drink and play after he finished band!" work." Carmen McRae, in the book Hear Me Talkin ' To When Tatum began playing at the Onyx Club on Ya, claimed Tatum played better after hours. James New York City's 52nd Street, Waller greeted his arrival Lincoln Collier, in his book The Making ofJazz, wrote at the club by announcing, "Ladies that "Tatum was at his best at the and gentlemen, God has just come early-morning sessions." into the house!" Tatum's playing was Red Callender sits in characterized by an incessantly Bassist Red Callender, who later creative left hand, playing four played with just about everybody different chords to the bar, subtle from Bunk Johnson to Charlie Parker chords, unprecedented harmonic and even Percy Faith, came to subtlety, and sixteenth-note runs at Cleveland in 1933 when he was 17 tempos that most pianists could not years old. In his autobiography, maintain with just eighth notes. Unfinished Dream, Callender Respected jazz critic Leonard recalled it was trumpeter Roy Feather later said Tatum's "fantastic Eldridge who first took him to hear technique and original harmonic Tatum at Val's. Callender said every variations placed him incomparably night there was a raft of excellent 26 Cleveland Jazz History piano players coming by, trying to cut Tatum. night, after their gig, bass player Red Ryan took Lerner "Apparently they had no idea ofhis world-wide stature. to Val's. Lerner, who at the time had never heard of They thought he was just a hometown piano player." Tatum, later remembered, "I thought 1was a pretty much Callender said he would take a tuba and sit in with of a hot shot piano player and I went with Red over to Tatum. "I couldn't believe my ears," he said, Cedar Avenue." "especially on 'Tiger Rag.' His hands were a blur.