ERROLL GARNER

NEW EXCITING PROFILE!!! MUST SEE!!!http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1 4501602_____________________________________________________ _______________________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. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA in 1921, Erroll began playing piano at the age of 3. 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.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.A small man, Garner was reputed to perform sitting on a Manhattan telephone directory.Erroll Garner is generally credited for having bridged the gap for jazz musicians between night clubs and the concert hall. The Dave Brubeck Quartet also bridged the gap between night clubs and concert halls in the 50's with numerous appearances on college campuses.Garner is buried in Pittsburgh's Homewood Cemetery.His 1955 recording, Concert by the Sea, ranks among his very best 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.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. This approach 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.