Categories:
Cart 0

Your cart is empty

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.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo Read more
Listen on Qobuz

Similar artists

Oscar Peterson
Martial Solal
Oscar Peterson Trio, Billie Holiday, Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson Trio, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson Trio, Flip Phillips Quintet, Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra, Oscar Peterson
Thelonious Monk
Oscar Peterson, Oscar Peterson Trio
Oscar Peterson Trio, Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra, Oscar Peterson, Lester Young
Ahmad Jamal
Red Richards
Art Hodes
Ralph Sutton
Oscar Peterson, The Oscar Peterson Trio
Earl Hines
Teddy Wilson
Phineas Newborn
Billy Strayhorn
Bob Howard
Stuff Smith
Oscar Peterson, Oscar Peterson Quartet, Oscar Peterson Trio
Dick Wellstood
Nat King Cole
Dick Hyman
Art Tatum
Oscar Peterson Jam
Oscar Peterson, Oscar Peterson Trio, Oscar Peterson Quartet
Oscar Peterson Quartet, Jazz At The Philharmonic, Oscar Peterson

Discography

1250 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller

1 2 3 4 5 48
1 2 3 4 5 48

My favorites

Cet élément a bien été <span>ajouté / retiré</span> de vos favoris.

Sort and filter releases

In the magazine...

Nelson Freire, a Humble Virtuoso