BIOGRAPHY

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ERROLL GARNER

1921-1977

Who is Erroll Garner?

Pittsburgh born Jazz pianist, prolific composer, concert hall artist, and recording star. Garner was one of the most well known and influential pianists in the world during his lifetime. Surrounded by a musical family, Garner was by all accounts self-taught, began playing at the age of three and was performing professionally by the age of seven. Throughout his career Garner developed a distinctive and original piano style often compared with Art Tatum, Fats Waller, as well as Claude Debussy.

Garner released music on over 40 labels, received multiple Grammy nominations, and recorded one of the greatest selling jazz albums of all time, Concert By The Sea. His published catalog contains nearly 200 compositions including “Misty”, which was named #15 on ASCAP’s list of the top songs of the 20th century. He scored for ballet, film, television, and orchestra. One of the most televised Jazz artists of his era, Garner appeared on TV shows all over the world, including: Ed Sullivan, Dick Cavitt, Steve Allen, Johnny Carson, and many others. His prolific career began on Allegheny riverboats and spanned from the clubs of 52nd street to the top concert halls of the world.

Erroll Garner’s musical and cultural legacy is perhaps stronger today than at any point since his untimely passing in 1977, when Erroll lost his battle with lung cancer at the age of 55. Thanks to the renewed efforts of Octave Music—the successor and namesake of the company Garner formed with his manager Martha Glaser in 1952— and it’s Erroll Garner Project, his music is once again finding fresh audiences through a series of new record releases, multimedia performances, and creative partnerships.

Dive Deeper with Erroll Garner Uncovered

 

Erroll Garner Uncovered is a 12-part podcast series hosted by acclaimed author and historian Robin D.G. Kelley, exploring the music and legacy of pianist Erroll Garner. Each episode is grounded in one of Garner's albums and features a conversation between Dr. Kelley and a different musician. Our guests include some of today's most important voices in jazz, as Uncovered attempts to answer one central question: Who is Erroll Garner to you?

 

Just discovering Erroll Garner? Start Here.

 
 
 
“Erroll Garner personifies the joy of fearless virtuosity and exploration. His playing celebrated the greatest swinging big bands through an innovative and impossible pianism. Singular yet all embracing, Garner blurred the line between great art and popular art, and he was a staunch journeyman of the blues and his Pittsburgh legacy.”
— Geri Allen
The Octave Remastered Series albums include nearly 70 minutes of previously unreleased Garner material, including twelve original Erroll Garner songs. Eight of these are brand new Garner compositions from his archive! Enjoy all twelve of the new Garn
Erroll Garner sitting at a piano with Art Tatum at the Birdland Cafe in NYC, 1952. Known as the "Jazz Corner of the World", Birdland's stage featured some of the best jazz musicians of the time before it closed down in 1965. Garner and Tatu
Today we celebrate Erroll Garner's 99th birthday and kick off what would have been the beginning of his 100th journey around the sun! To celebrate we are giving away previously unreleased sheet music of Garner's song "Down Wylie Avenue" for
Join pianist and EGP creative ambassador Christian Sands this Sunday at 4pm EDT streaming live on his instagram page (@christiansandsjazz) for a deep dive into the Erroll Garner’s Gershwin & Kern album. The newly restored album was remixed
'Gershwin & Kern', the final release of the Octave Remastered Series, is available today! In his original 1976 liner notes, concert impresario George Wein concluded fittingly, “To put it simply, Erroll Garner is a great musical genius.&rdq
Erroll Garner performing a club date in 1958. One year later, Garner would go into the studio to record Dreamstreet, the first album produced for his own label, Octave Records, whose 12 releases make up the Octave Remastered Series. [Photo credit: De
Erroll hanging out with the great Duke Ellington backstage. Many of Ellington’s songs were staples of Garner’s repertoire. You can hear Garner’s inspired take on the classic “Caravan” on 2016's Ready Take One.
The limited edition 180 gram vinyl release of the remastered 'Magician' is now available for non-subscribers to purchase on Vinyl Me, Please (@vinylmeplease). Go to the link in bio to get your vinyl copy of 'Magician' before it's sold out.
The Erroll Garner Project stands with our African-American  brothers and sisters who are under attack by racism and violence at the hands of the police across America. This is not new to the black community. This is the history of the U.S.
“Lovely to Look At”, the first single from the final Octave Remastered Series album ‘Gershwin & Kern’, is available on all streaming services today. Stream the single and pre-save ‘Gershwin & Kern’ today. L
Learn more about the groundbreaking 'Plangent Process' used to restore Erroll Garner's master recordings in this exclusive interview with Octave Remastered Series senior producer Peter Lockhart on @vinylmeplease. Link in bio.

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