Art Tatum

Lloyd (Tiny) Grimes, who taught himself to play guitar and then became known for his work as a sideman with Art Tatum and Charlie Parker, died of meningitis Saturday at age 72 at a New York City hospital. Grimes' solos on his four-string electric guitar during the middle 1940s, when his band, the Rocking Highlanders, recorded behind blues singers, set a standard for early rock 'n' roll guitarists. Born in Newport News, Va., Grimes first taught himself piano and then guitar.

Clarence Baker, 93, intermittent owner and force behind one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious jazz clubs, died Sunday of natural causes in a hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit was founded in 1934 by his father, Chris, as a restaurant called Baker's. The younger Baker persuaded his father to add live piano music in the evenings, then took over running the club in 1939.

Charlie Biddle, 76, a leader of Montreal's jazz scene in the 1950s and '60s who played bass with pianist Thelonious Monk and saxophonist Charlie Parker, died Tuesday in Montreal after a battle with cancer. Biddle was a native of Philadelphia who moved to Canada in 1948. Over the next five decades, the World War II veteran and former car salesman became synonymous with jazz in Montreal. Biddle opened his own club, Uncle Charlie's Jazz Joint, in suburban Ste-Therese in 1958.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the outdoor stage in South Park was the place to see the city's up-and-coming musical acts. Jazz greats Art Tatum and Buddy Collette and soul singers Barry White and T-Bone Walker were among many musicians who performed at free concerts on the stage in South Los Angeles on 51st Street between San Pedro Street and Avalon Boulevard. Dozens of professional bands also practiced there before performing in concert halls around the city. Those days may be back.

Eric Reed's technical virtuosity was on full display Friday in the opening set of a two-night run at Catalina's Bar & Grill. The talented young pianist highlighted a mixed collection of standards and originals with a finger-popping array of extended improvisations. His most effective number was a solo reading of "Embraceable You," which was rich with echoes of Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum.

A whirlwind historical survey of the piano, "People and Pianos" (10 p.m. KCET and KVCR), has been created by Smithsonian Productions and EurdoArts Music International GmbH. And it tells the story well, in 56 frenzied minutes. Watch closely, or you may miss many delicious moments, and performances. Every one of these is a cameo, of course, though it may last more than a mere minute.

Michael "Dodo" Marmarosa, 76, a jazz pianist who worked with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five before becoming a fine bebop player, died Tuesday of an apparent heart attack at a Veterans Affairs medical center near Pittsburgh. Marmarosa was born in Pittsburgh and studied classical piano as a child. But he became inspired by the playing of pianists Art Tatum and Teddy Wilson, and switched to jazz.

Bobby Lyle's performance at Nothin' But Jazz last week was a study in schizophrenic contrasts. The first half of the pianist's program was devoted to a sparkling display of solo numbers from his new album, "Pianomagic." Lyle obviously has listened closely to Ahmad Jamal and McCoy Tyner, as well as Sergei Rachmaninoff and Art Tatum. On such pieces as "The Very Thought of You," "They Can't Take That Away From Me" and "Pianomagic," he virtually converted the piano into an orchestra.

Walter Norris is the Art Tatum of the '90s. Like the protean Tatum, Norris--who lives in Berlin and is in town for his annual visit--mixes a stunning technical prowess with a sublime sense of melody, resulting in performances that fill one with exhilaration and awe. At the Jazz Bakery on Saturday, Norris worked unaccompanied, spinning out his magnificent musical tales to the beat of his own inner drummer.