If Art Tatum had been white, he might have made a career as a great classical pianist. Had Leopold Godowsky (1870-1938) been black, he might have become a great jazzer. His best playing is said to have been to private gatherings in his New York salon, and his compositions are beautifully wrought for the quiet delight of connoisseurs. They are relatively, but only relatively, easy listening. Virtuosi sometimes play the short pieces here as encores, when they do all the hard work and the audience relaxes. They are stylishly served in a recording which captures the sensitive colouring of this 34-year-old Russian pianist.
