Those who worked closely with him say Detroit jazz musician and music educator James Tatum touched lives just as majestically as he touched piano keys in concert halls and classrooms throughout the U.S. 

Tatum, 90, died Oct. 6 in Detroit, following a lengthy illness. A viewing is set for 3-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14 at the James H. Cole Funeral Home at 16100 Schaefer in Detroit. Funeral services are set for Friday, Oct. 15 at the Westminster Church of Detroit, 17567 Hubbell. A 10 a.m. family hour will be followed by the 11 a.m. funeral service.  

“Some of the young people he helped have been reaching out to say just how much James helped guide them or helped open doors of opportunity for them,” said Tatum’s wife Cleatrice. “Musicians such as trumpeter Omar Butler in Florida and cellist Joshua McClendon, now a senior at The Juilliard School in New York, have said they would not be where they are – or who they are – without James Tatum’s influence and support.” 

Both Butler and McClendon are among legions who received mentorship and scholarships from the James Tatum Foundation for the Arts. Butler, McClendon and other Foundation alum have performed with major U.S. orchestras, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.    

Tatum was born in Mineola, where he began playing piano at an early age. He received a bachelor’s degree from Prairie View A&M University before earning a master’s degree from the University of Michigan.  

After a brief stint in the military, Tatum became instructor and department head at Detroit’s Murray-Wright High School, inspiring students such as accomplished local vocalist Jeanetta Carr.  He also regularly worked as guest lecturer and instructor at local colleges and universities such as Oakland County Community College, Oakland University and Macomb County Community College. For many years, he was a beloved professor at Wayne County Community College, retiring in 2014.  

Although he was a noted jazz pianist, Tatum was not limited to that genre. In lectures, he often emphasized the shared roots of blues, gospel, jazz and other traditions.  

His most popular lectures included “The History of Jazz,” “How to Listen to Jazz,” and “Elements and Improvisation of Jazz Expressions.” Tatum’s own compositions reveal the range of his music appreciation. They include Contemporary Jazz Mass, Jubilee Jazz Suite, The Return of Joshua, Great Detroit Renaissance, and A Tribute to Nelson Mandela. In 2015, Jazzman Records of London reissued his Spiritualotta Jazz Suite.  

Still, his greatest composition may have been the founding of the James Tatum Foundation for the Arts in 1987. He often described it as a “divinely inspired way to help talented youths pursue their dreams.” Over the years, the foundation has contributed about $400,000 in scholarships to more than 500 Detroit-area students of virtually every ethnic background. The foundation has reported that more than 95 percent of scholarship recipients ultimately received college degrees.  

For his efforts, Tatum received dozens of awards. In 2000, he was the first jazz musician to receive the People’s Choice Michigan Artist Award from then-Governor Jennifer Granholm. In 2005, he performed in Washington, D.C. at the Annual Jazz Forum and Concert, hosted by Congressman John Conyers. Prairie View A&M presented him with a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2010 and in 2012, he performed in Grenada, West Indies as part of a Jazz Lecture and Performance Festival sponsored by the U.S. Embassy. In 2017, the mayor of his Mineola hometown proclaimed July 6 James Tatum Day.  

A longtime member of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, Tatum was featured several times as a lecturer and concert performer at the historic church. 

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the Endowment Fund of the James Tatum Foundation for the Arts.