Erroll Garner
Albums
Concert by the Sea was arguably the finest record pianist Erroll Garner ever made, and he made many -- a few outstanding -- good recordings. But this live recording (September [more]
Erroll Garner's Finest Hour contains tracks recorded by the pianist for Verve between 1945 and 1955, and truly does represent his best material for the imprint. This is [more]
It was a typical recording session for pianist Erroll Garner. With his regular trio of the period (bassist Wyatt Ruther and drummer Fats Heard) plus Candido, Garner recorded 24 songs [more]
On this CD, the third Classics set featuring Erroll Garner at the beginning of his career, the pianist is mostly heard during Dec. 22-25, 1944, when he was caught on disc practicing at [more]
Volume 17 in the complete recordings of Erroll Garner as compiled and reissued by the Classics Chronological Series contains 19 magnificent performances recorded at Universal Recording [more]
Appearances
The classic songs of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart are rendered on this outstanding three-disc set, which features vocalists like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, [more]
This nicely priced and packaged two-disc set is a convenient, introductory primer compilation to Parker's music for the average listener. What we have here [more]
counts as 2
One of the giants of American popular song gets his due with this three-disc Verve box, comprising a trio of separately released compilations. Though Mercer's [more]
Concert by the Sea was arguably the finest record pianist Erroll Garner ever made, and he made many -- a few outstanding -- good recordings. But this live recording (September [more]
The critics rave!
To commemorate the end of the century, Sony Music assembled the gargantuan 26-disc box set Sony Music 100 Years: Soundtrack for a Century. The title [more]
![Ornithology [Living Era]](/cache/JHS/h1/130x130_h11412t4lmw.jpg)
For those who collect Charlie Parker compilations, this title may be a bit confusing. This Living Era/ASV comp is not a duplicate version of those on Proper, Golden Stars [more]
Erroll Garner's Finest Hour contains tracks recorded by the pianist for Verve between 1945 and 1955, and truly does represent his best material for the imprint. This is [more]
It was a typical recording session for pianist Erroll Garner. With his regular trio of the period (bassist Wyatt Ruther and drummer Fats Heard) plus Candido, Garner recorded 24 songs [more]
On this CD, the third Classics set featuring Erroll Garner at the beginning of his career, the pianist is mostly heard during Dec. 22-25, 1944, when he was caught on disc practicing at [more]
Biography
- Born Jun 15th 1921 in Pittsburgh, PA
- Died Jan 7th 1977 in Los Angeles, CA
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. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
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