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"Music acts like a magic key, to which the most tightly closed heart opens." - Maria von Trapp

Erroll Garner

One of the most distinctive of all pianists, Erroll Garner proved that it was possible to be a sophisticated player without knowing how to read music, that a creative jazz musician can be very popular without watering down his music, and that it is possible to remain an enthusiastic player without changing one's style once it is formed. A brilliant virtuoso who sounded unlike anyone else, on medium tempo pieces, Erroll Garner often stated the beat with his left hand like a rhythm guitar while his right played chords slightly behind the beat, creating a memorable effect. His playful free-form introductions (which forced his sidemen to really listen), his ability to play stunning runs without once glancing at the keyboard, his grunting, and the pure joy that he displayed while performing were also part of the Erroll Garner magic.

Garner, whose older brother Linton was also a fine pianist, appeared on the radio with the Kan-D-Kids at the age of ten. After working locally in Pittsburgh, he moved to New York in 1944 and worked with Slam Stewart's trio during 1944-1945 before going out on his own. By 1946, Garner had his sound together, and when he backed Charlie Parker on his famous Cool Blues session of 1947, the pianist was already an obvious giant. His unclassifiable style had an orchestral approach straight from the swing era but was open to the innovations of bop. From the early '50s on, Garner's accessible style became very popular and he never seemed to have an off day up until his forced retirement (due to illness) in early 1975. His composition "Misty" became a standard. Garner, who had the ability to sit at the piano without prior planning and record three albums in one day (all colorful first takes), made many records throughout his career for such companies as Savoy, Mercury, RCA, Dial, Columbia, EmArcy, ABC-Paramount, MGM, Reprise, and his own Octave label.

Featured on

Live in Japan
Cathy Segal-Garcia & Phillip Strange
Liberation in Swing: Centennial Collection (box-set)
Erroll Garner
Liberation in Swing: The Octave Records Story & Complete Symphony Hall Concert (4-LP Hardcover Book)
Erroll Garner
Symphony Hall Concert (vinyl)
Erroll Garner
Symphony Hall Concert
Erroll Garner
Gershwin & Kern
Erroll Garner
Magician
Erroll Garner
Gemini
Erroll Garner
Feeling is Believing
Erroll Garner
Up in Erroll’s Room
Erroll Garner
That’s My Kick
Erroll Garner
Campus Concert
Erroll Garner
A Night at the Movies
Erroll Garner
Dreamstreet
Erroll Garner
One World Concert
Erroll Garner
Closeup In Swing
Erroll Garner
A New Kind of Love
Erroll Garner
Various composers
Some Like it Plucked
Patrick Ayrton
Nightconcert (vinyl)
Erroll Garner
Nightconcert
Erroll Garner
Swiss Radio Days Jazz Series Vol. 41 - Zurich 1961
Ray Charles Orchestra