Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and Nat King Cole

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Actor and director Clint Eastwood has some serious jazz “chops.”

Born in San Francisco, as a young teenager he used to sneak unto the clubs in the city’s Fillmore district which in the years before “urban renewal” was a major West Coast mecca for jazz.

Eastwood soaked it all in and became a pianist and composer. He remembers the time:

“I was just a gangly kid sitting in the back. I didn’t get to know (the players), until years later. I would just go and listen to them.”

In this clip from Eastwood’s 2003 documentary “Piano Blues”, Ray Charles shines a light on the genius of Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and one of the great jazz pianists of all time, Nat KIng Cole.

Fantastic clips of these greats and deeply informed commentary from Charles.

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