Erroll Garner has been one of my jazz idols ever since I first heard him play piano in the mid 50's. Erroll was born June 15, 1923 and died Jan 3, 1977. He started playing piano at the age of 3. By the time he was 7, he was playing piano on radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh with a group called "Candy Kids". At 11 he was playing on Allegheny riverboats. He did all this playing without ever learning how to read music. Erroll had no problem playing any kind of music without written music notes. Erroll always had his own distinctive style of playing that is easily recognizable. Along with an outstanding musical career, Erroll also found time to write one of the greatest songs in the history of the "Great American Songbook" Misty. If you have not experienced the magic of Erroll Garner, I have selected two YouTube videos that will open the Garner door for you. If you already are a fan, these YouTube videos are sure to bring back some wonderful memories. The first video is of Erroll playing "Over The Rainbow" that is just great. The second video is Erroll playing his own composition, "Misty" and there are no words to describe how good this is.
My dad loved Erroll Garner and his great piano riffs..dad used to play "Misty" with his knuckles like Garner did...classic!
ReplyDeleteHe certainly was a classic! Thanks for the comment.
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