Erroll Garner

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Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose distinctive and melodic style brought him both popular acclaim and the admiration of peers. It is a well-known fact that Garner was never able to read sheet music.

Life and career

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. in 1921, Erroll began playing piano at the age of 3. He attended George Westinghouse High School (as did Billy Strayhorn and Ahmad Jamal). Garner was self-taught and remained an "ear player" all his life -- he never learned to read music.

At the age of 7, Garner began appearing on radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh with a group called the Candy Kids. By the age of 11, he was playing on the Allegheny riverboats. At age 16 in 1937 he joined local saxophonist Leroy Brown.

He played locally in the shadow of his older pianist brother Linton Garner and moved to New York in 1944. He briefly worked with the bassist Slam Stewart, and though not a bebop musician per se, in 1947 played with Charlie Parker on the famous Cool Blues session. Short in stature, Garner was reputed to perform sitting on a Manhattan telephone directory. Films from the early to mid 60's do show him seated on something resembling this. He was also known for his occasional vocalizations while playing, which can be heard on many of his recordings. He is generally credited for having bridged the gap for jazz musicians between night clubs and the concert hall.

Garner's ear and technique owed as much to practice as to a natural gift. His distinctive style could swing like no other, but some of his best recordings are ballads, such as his best-known composition, "Misty"'. Although "Misty" rapidly became a standard with singers -- and was famously featured in Clint Eastwood's Play Misty for Me (1971) -- it was never a favorite with fellow instrumentalists.

Garner may have been inspired by the example of Earl Hines, a fellow Pittsburgh resident but 18 years his senior, and there were resemblances in their elastic approach to timing and the use of the right-hand octaves. Errol's style however, was unique and had neither obvious forerunners nor competent imitators although, at an amateur level, more players attempted to imitate him than any other pianist in jazz history. A key factor in his sound was the independence of his springy but rock-steady left hand from the seemingly wayward melodies of the right. He would often start his playing with a strange mixture of notes bearing no resemblance to any musical composition which gave his audience a sense of excitement not knowing which number he was about to perform. Whether in ultra slow ballads or rampant up-tempo improvisation, this never failed to convey a humorous and titilating attitude to both the material at hand and the audience.

Errol was a jazz musician through and through, his popular appeal arising directly from his playing. It was achieved without the aid of jocular vocals or ingratiating announcements, in the manner of Louis Armstrong or Fats Waller (the only comparable figures in terms of earning universal affection), and it seems equally unlikely that he tailored his music to the demands of success. He merely found the way to people's hearts and never lost it.

Garner had established himself an international reputation, and from that point until his death on January 2, 1977, he made many tours both at home and abroad, and produced a huge volume of recorded work.

Garner is buried in Pittsburgh's Homewood Cemetery.

Works

His record recording career started out in the late 1940s when several 7" EP records were made with tracks such as 'Fine and Dandy' and 'Sweet 'n' lovely'. However, his 1955 recording, Concert by the Sea, ranks among his most popular work and has Eddie Calhoun on bass and Denzil Best on drums. Ironically this recording, in Carmel California, was made using relatively primitive sound equipment. But Erroll's inventiveness and swing got the point across in each cut. Other notable works include 1951's Long Ago and Far Away and 1974's Magician, both of which see Erroll perform a number of classic standards in his own style. Often the trio was expanded to add Latin percussion, usually a conga, with electric results.

In 1964 Garner made a two consecutive rare appearances in the UK on the BBC music series entitled Jazz 625 (625 referring to the new high quality 625 line format, as opposed to the old 405 line screen) being broadcast by the new television channel BBC 2. The programme was hosted by Steve Race, who introduced Garner's trio with Eddie Calhoun on bass and Kelly Martin on drums. Garner worked hard on the keyboard, with perspiration streaming down his face with the programme making close shots of Garner's hands at work.

What made Erroll easy to recognize were his trademark introductions, that seemed to make no sense but broke dramatically into his exposition of the tune he was to play, and the guitar strumming sound of his left hand, playing crotchet accompaniment to his rich sounding right hand. He places his chords and octaves on syncopated beats that swing very hard and can be used to build excellent tension, such as between phrases. The approach also suggests he was influenced by the iconic rhythm guitar work of Count Basie's long time guitarist, Freddie Green. But discerning listeners could find that while his even four left hand was a fixture, it was far from being the only rhythmic approach he took to playing.

Samples

of "Laura" by Erroll Garner

Erroll bridged the gap between stride and straight ahead styles. Often identified as a stride player, his right hand had the trappings of modernity, elements of Cole and Wilson delineations...He was one of our greatest anomalies, with hands barely reaching an octave, he came to define a media filled with technical prowess on his own terms. His style might best be described as orchestral as his creations often maintained the energy and diversity of an entire band...held up on a foundation of unka chunka.

External links

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Last updated on Wednesday February 20, 2008 at 22:00:43 PST (GMT -0800)
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