Sunday, January 20, 2013

Monday Melody; Elegie


Art Tatum • Elegie

Art Tatum once walked into a night club in New York where Fats Waller, his greatest influence, was playing. Upon seeing his entrance, Fats Waller stopped playing and spoke, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm only a piano player, but tonight God is in the house!"

It's said that you have to be a musician to truly appreciate Art Tatum's playing. I feel this way about Buddhist teachings sometimes, especially the more esoteric ones. You have to be a master to understand their depth and complexities. But even I can't always make much sense of them, I can still recognize their greatness, and the more familiar they become the better understanding becomes.

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