Role

:

Composer  

Country

:

United States of America

Birth

:

June 15, 1921 in Pittsburgh, PA

Death

:

January 2, 1977 in Los Angeles, CA

Genre

:

Keyboard

 

Erroll Garner was a renowned American jazz pianist and composer, born on June 15, 1921, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the youngest of five children born to an African American family. His mother was a seamstress, and his father was a coal miner and a part-time musician. Garner's family was musically inclined, and he started playing the piano at the age of three. He was a self-taught pianist and had a unique style of playing that was influenced by his love for classical music. Garner's musical career began in the 1930s when he started playing in local clubs and bars in Pittsburgh. He was discovered by the bandleader Leroy Brown, who gave him his first professional gig. Garner's talent was soon recognized, and he started playing with some of the most prominent jazz musicians of the time, including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sarah Vaughan. In 1944, Garner moved to New York City, where he signed a recording contract with Columbia Records. He released his first album, "Erroll Garner Plays," in 1945, which was a critical and commercial success. The album featured Garner's unique style of playing, which was characterized by his use of block chords and his ability to play complex melodies with ease. Garner's career continued to flourish throughout the 1950s and 1960s. He released several albums, including "Concert by the Sea" (1955), which is considered one of the greatest live jazz recordings of all time. The album was recorded at a concert in Carmel, California, and features Garner's trio, which included bassist Eddie Calhoun and drummer Denzil Best. The album was a commercial success and helped to establish Garner as one of the most popular jazz pianists of the time. Garner's music was characterized by his unique style of playing, which was influenced by his love for classical music. He was known for his use of block chords, which involved playing several notes at once, and his ability to play complex melodies with ease. His music was also characterized by his use of improvisation, which allowed him to create new and unique melodies on the spot. Garner's most famous composition is "Misty," which he wrote in 1954. The song has become a jazz standard and has been covered by numerous artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Johnny Mathis. The song was originally an instrumental, but lyrics were later added by Johnny Burke. The song has been featured in several films, including "Play Misty for Me" (1971) and "Bird" (1988). Garner continued to perform and record throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He suffered a stroke in 1975, which left him partially paralyzed and unable to perform for several months. However, he eventually recovered and continued to perform until his death in 1977. He died of lung cancer on January 2, 1977, at the age of 55. Garner's legacy continues to live on through his music. He was a prolific composer and recorded over 200 albums throughout his career. His music has influenced countless musicians and has been featured in numerous films and television shows. He was posthumously inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Pittsburgh Jazz Hall of Fame in 2011. In conclusion, Erroll Garner was a talented jazz pianist and composer who had a unique style of playing that was influenced by his love for classical music. He was a self-taught pianist who started playing at a young age and went on to become one of the most popular jazz musicians of his time.

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