Larry Bechtel Proposes an Art Tatum Scupture for Toledo

My People,

I met sculptor Larry Bechtel this past October in Christiansburg, VA. He had completed a sculpture in honor of my Aunt Nannie B. Hairston and the extended Hairston Family gathered at the Montgomery County Government Building to witness the unveiling. Aunt Nan was the guest of honor.

Larry and I conversed after the program and our mutual interest in jazz came up when I mentioned being from Ohio. He added that he was proposing a sculpture of Toledo, Ohio jazz legend Art Tatum. I told him that I was the state’s jazz music historian and would do anything that I could to encourage the project.

He sent me a copy of his proposal and I sent back this letter:

“Mr. Bechtel,

Greetings from Columbus. I am immersed in your proposal package. I also pulled up the web site for the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, where I viewed the 1983 Art Tatum film. What a nostalgic walk into a rich heritage.

I’m impressed with the package; quite handsome and full of exciting ideas. I hope that the Arts Commission makes the choice of the second option of God is in the House. I entertain at a public space (Easton Town Center) that has a dancing fountain and all ages of the community use it as a gathering space.

Option two would be a magnet to children and thus the legacy of Art Tatum would become a part of the lives of the next and future generations. I hope that in addition to the sculpture, fountain and landscaping, audio can be a part of the presentation. Perhaps audio can be triggered when someone approaches the keyboard and a recording begins.

What form would you like my participation? I intend to send a donation to the project. And if you’d like my donation to accompany a letter, I can certainly do that.

Thanks for sharing your vision with me. I look forward to helping in making this exciting dream.”

If you don’t know the legend of Art Tatum, a sightless musician who is considered by many to be the greatest of all pianist and improvisers, here is a link to the Greater Toledo Arts Commission.

http://www.edu-core.org/external/tatum/

I hope I can see Mr. Bechtel’s tribute to Art Tatum become a gift to Ohioans.