---
title: "Art Tatum | American Jazz Museum"
description: "Art Tatum (1909–1956). Pianist from Toledo, Ohio, whose speed, harmonic daring, and command of the whole keyboard set the standard for jazz virtuosity."
canonical: https://americanjazzmuseum.org/artist-spotlights/artists/art-tatum/
---

Artist Spotlights

# Art Tatum

1909–1956. Pianist from Toledo, Ohio, whose speed, harmonic daring, and command of the whole keyboard set the standard for jazz virtuosity.

![Art Tatum in a double-breasted suit, seated at a grand piano, turned toward the camera with a broad smile, his right hand on the keys.](/_astro/tatum-gottlieb-1946.DnG-GPrW_25iTiU.webp)

[Portrait of Art Tatum, Vogue Room, New York, N.Y.](https://www.loc.gov/item/2023868305/). William P. Gottlieb, between 1946 and 1948. William P. Gottlieb/Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Fund Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress. Public domain.

## Featured in

*   [Artist Spotlight: Art Tatum](/artist-spotlights/art-tatum-in-harlem/) — October 20, 2026  
    Soon after Art Tatum reached New York in 1932, Harlem’s stride masters tested the young pianist from Toledo at a late-night session. Hear his 1933 recording of “Tea for Two.”

## Listen

### Tea for Two, Art Tatum

Recorded 1933. Released on Piano Starts Here (Columbia, 1968). Discussed in [Artist Spotlight: Art Tatum](/artist-spotlights/art-tatum-in-harlem/).

*   [YouTube: Tea for Two, Art Tatum (opens in a new tab)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btJWbMXTx2U)
*   [Spotify: Tea for Two, Art Tatum (opens in a new tab)](https://open.spotify.com/track/0Otf1ZfYNIjhqFIuJk0fsy)
*   [Apple Music: Tea for Two, Art Tatum (opens in a new tab)](https://music.apple.com/us/album/tea-for-two/157401507?i=157401527)

[All Artist Spotlights](/artist-spotlights/)