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【Jazz piano】Erroll Garner

(2009-09-17 14:39:42) 下一个
My Silent Love Garner Errol 1962

Errol , just turned 41, is seen and heard here in a performance in Amsterdam in 1962. Together with drummer Kelly Martin and bassist Eddy Calhoun they bring you My Silent Love.
It is amazing to see, where obviously Errol plays an improvised intro, the bassist watches in anticipation when the great man will come in with the chorus. Errol , after playing about a minute of introduction just turns and smiles , then suddenly with a definite nod, the band picks up and sets in one of these perfect tempos.
What a performer!
Born in 1921 he was a self-taught pianist who never learned to read music, Erroll Garner was nevertheless one of the most popular jazz musicians of the 1950s. His swinging piano and gift for melody kept him on the top of the charts, and his most memorable tune, "Misty" was a pop hit for many different artists between 1959 and 1975

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, Erroll Garner on medium-tempo pieces 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 is 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 1944-45 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 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. Erroll 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

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