Photo of Erroll with Sarah Vaughn and Mitch Miller

This photo evokes many thoughts. Erroll Garner and Sarah Vaughan were good friends and their careers paralleled one another, often crossing paths. They co-headlined in theaters -- The Paradise Theater in Detroit, the Apollo in New York, among others. We recall they would close the show performing together on Mean To Me, a rousing up-tempo rendition. Sarah had one of the major hit recordings of Misty, composed by Garner in 1959. Her recording had such impact that she used it as her bow music in performances for several decades.

Other hit recordings of Misty were by Johnny Mathis, Dakota Staton, Lloyd Price, and Ray Stevens. Misty has had an exciting odyssey since Garner first composed and recorded it in July, 1954 (on Mercury). His rendition continues on CDs in several recordings including the original Misty. Misty also was the theme music for the Today Show on NBC-TV in the 50's and 60's, and it was the title song of the Clint Eastwood film Play Misty for Me, in which Garner plays on the soundtrack both with trio and orchestra. Misty continues to be a major standard. Last year ASCAP named it as one of the 25 most-performed songs of the 20th Century; it was #15 on this list, and the only selection by a composer from the jazz genre.

Garner and Mitch Miller also had a long time relationship. Miller, who was A&R chief of Columbia Records in the 50's, was involved in Garner's recording output during Garner's halcyon days at Columbia: 1950-1958. Miller also was instrumental in bringing Garner to the attention of the late great classical impressario S. Hurok, under whose auspices Garner toured in concerts from 1956-62. Garner was the only jazz artist on the Hurok roster, which included renowned artists like Marian Anderson, Arthur Rubenstein, Isaac Stern and other virtuosos.

Garner recorded at Columbia in 1956 with a 36-piece orchestra conducted by Mitch Miller. In 1957 Garner made his debut with symphony orchestra as soloist, at the Public Auditorium, with Miller conducting. The success of this performance (it broke box office records there) led to periodic engagements as a soloist with symphony orchestras throughout the United States. We have hoped that Columbia/Sony would issue the Garner/Miller orchestra work on CD, but to-date, they haven't done so. Perhaps they will if they hear from Garner listeners. It is an exhilerating collection, and includes some great standards plus Garner's own compositions: Misty, Dreamy, Other Voices, Solitaire and Moment's Delight.

[Biographical Materials] [HOME]