Product Description:
Personnel includes: Erroll Garner (piano); John Simmons, Wyatt Ruther, Eddie Calhoun (bass); Shadow Wilson, "Fats" Heard, Denzil Best (drums).
Compilation producer: Didier C. Deutsch.
Recorded between 1950 and 1957. Includes liner notes by Didier C. Deutsch.
Digitally remastered by Chris Herles (Sony Music Studios, New York, New York).
This is part of Columbia Legacy's The Essence Of... series.
THE ESSENCE OF ERROLL GARNER cherry-picks the best selections from the albums the pianist made for Columbia in the 1950s. Garner's Columbia tenure was one of his most productive and successful; his trademark virtuosity and distinctive technique were at their peak. (While embellishing the melody with his right hand, Garner would play thick chords with his left, creating percussive impact and orchestral color). Garner's style can be heard in full flower here, particularly on the standards "I'll Remember April," "Laura" (the theme from the 1945 film of the same name), and Duke & Harburg's "April in Paris."
Influenced equally by Fats Waller, Earl Hines, and the innovations of bop pioneers like Charlie Parker, Garner brought a harmonic and rhythmic sophistication to his readings of popular song. In large part, Garner's success rides on his ability to bridge general accessibility with critic-pleasing conceptions, a dual identity that manifests itself in the pianist's witty, exuberant delivery and steady stream of advanced ideas. Cole Porter's "It's All right with Me," George Shearing's "Lullaby of Birdland," and Garner's own "Misty"--one of the most popular jazz standards of all time--are all here, and provide ample evidence of the artist's particular magic.
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