Erroll Louis Garner was born on June 15, 1921, and died on January 2, 1977. He was an American jazz pianist and composer who played in a style called swing and wrote many ballads. His most famous piece, the instrumental ballad "Misty," became a jazz standard. It was first recorded in 1956 with Mitch Miller and his orchestra. The song also appeared in the 1971 movie Play Misty for Me.

Scott Yanow of AllMusic described Garner as "one of the most distinctive pianists" and a "brilliant virtuoso." He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6363 Hollywood Boulevard. His live album Concert by the Sea, released in 1955, sold over 1 million copies by 1958. Yanow noted that the album made such a strong impression that people began to see Garner as a lasting musical influence.

Life and career

Garner was born on June 15, 1921, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, along with his twin brother, Ernest. He was the youngest of six children in his family. He attended George Westinghouse High School, where other famous pianists, such as Billy Strayhorn and Ahmad Jamal, also studied. Information about Garner’s life, including interviews with family members, music teachers, and musicians, as well as a detailed family tree, can be found in the book Erroll Garner: The Most Happy Piano by James M. Doran.

Garner began playing the piano when he was three years old. His older siblings were taught by a teacher named "Miss Bowman." From a young age, Erroll would sit at the piano and play the same pieces that Miss Bowman had shown him. His oldest sister, Martha, said he played "just like Miss Bowman." Garner taught himself to play and never learned to read music. Instead, he relied on his ability to hear and remember music. At seven years old, he started performing on the radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh with a group called the Candy Kids. By the time he was 11, he was playing piano on boats that traveled along the Allegheny River. In 1937, he joined a local saxophonist named Leroy Brown.

Garner performed in Pittsburgh, often in the shadow of his older brother, Linton, who was also a pianist.

In 1944, Garner moved to New York City. He briefly worked with a bassist named Slam Stewart. Although he was not a bebop musician, he played with Charlie Parker on a recording session called "Cool Blues" in 1947. At first, the Pittsburgh music union refused to accept Garner as a member because he could not read music. However, in 1956, the union changed its decision and made him an honorary member. Garner was known for having an excellent musical memory. After hearing a concert by a Russian pianist named Emil Gilels, he returned home and was able to play most of the music from the concert by memory.

In 1960, Garner sued Columbia Records for breaking their contract. He had signed a five-year agreement with Columbia in 1956, which included a special clause (helped by his manager, Martha Glaser) that allowed him to approve the release of any recordings he made. For three years, a court case took place while Columbia continued to release his music without his permission. Finally, the New York State Supreme Court ruled in Garner’s favor in a major decision about artists’ rights. Columbia paid Garner a large settlement and removed all unauthorized recordings from its distributors.

Personal life

Garner died of a heart attack caused by emphysema on January 2, 1977, at the age of 55. He is buried in Pittsburgh's Homewood Cemetery.

Garner worked with music manager Martha Glaser from 1950 until his death in 1977. She was his only client.

Garner's partner, Rosalyn Noisette, and his daughter, Kim Garner, could not inherit his property. Glaser was named the executor of his estate. After Glaser passed away, her niece, Susan Rosenberg, took over responsibility for managing Garner's cultural legacy.

Playing style

Garner was short in height (5 feet 2 inches [157 cm]) and often sat on telephone directories while performing. He was known for making sounds while playing, and these sounds can be heard on many of his recordings. He helped connect jazz musicians who played in nightclubs with those who performed in concert halls.

Scott Yanow called Garner "one of the most distinctive of all pianists," noting that Garner showed how a creative jazz musician could be popular without changing their style or lowering the quality of their music. He was described as a "brilliant virtuoso who sounded unlike anyone else," blending an "orchestral approach" from the swing era with the new ideas of bop. His style could create a strong sense of rhythm, and some of his most famous recordings were ballads, like his well-known composition "Misty," which became a standard in jazz. This piece was also used in the 1971 film Play Misty for Me by Clint Eastwood.

Garner may have been influenced by Earl Hines, a fellow Pittsburgh resident who was 18 years older. Both musicians shared a flexible way of handling timing and used right-hand octaves similarly. Early recordings by Garner showed the influence of the stride piano style of James P. Johnson and Fats Waller. His improvisations usually stayed close to the main melody but used new chord arrangements and other techniques. He developed a unique style where his right hand played slightly behind the beat, while his left hand played a steady rhythm, creating a relaxed yet exciting feel. He also changed the speed of the beat in his right hand, a technique called the "Russian Dragon." His hands worked independently, using complex rhythms like three beats against four. In trio settings, he often used specific rhythm patterns in his left hand for Latin and swing tunes. He also created playful introductions that were very different from the rest of the song, leaving listeners and even band members unsure of what would come next.

Bassist Ray Brown called Garner "The Happy Man." Pianist Ross Tompkins said that Garner's unique style was linked to his sense of happiness.

Back catalogue

Garner's first recordings were made in late 1944 at the home of Timme Rosenkrantz. These recordings were later released as the five-volume Overture to Dawn series on Blue Note Records. His recording career grew in the late 1940s, when he recorded songs such as "Fine and Dandy," "Skylark," and "Summertime." His 1955 live album, Concert by the Sea, was a popular jazz album at the time. It features Eddie Calhoun on bass and Denzil Best on drums. The recording was made at the Sunset Center, a former school in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The sound equipment used was not very advanced, but George Avakian decided to release the recording.

In 1954, Garner composed "Misty," which he first recorded in 1955 for the album Contrasts. Johnny Burke later added lyrics to the song. "Misty" became very popular as a jazz standard and as Johnny Mathis's signature song. It was also recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Stevens, and Aretha Franklin.

One World Concert was recorded at the 1962 Seattle World Fair and in 1959 in the studio. It features Eddie Calhoun on bass and Kelly Martin on drums. Other works include the 1951 album Long Ago and Far Away, the 1953 album Erroll Garner at the Piano with Wyatt Ruther and Fats Heard, the 1957 album The Most Happy Piano, the 1970 album Feeling Is Believing, and the 1974 album Magician. On Magician, Garner performed several classic standards. Often, his trio added Latin percussion, such as a conga.

In 1964, Garner appeared in the UK on the music series Jazz 625, which aired on BBC Two. The program was hosted by Steve Race and featured Garner's trio with Eddie Calhoun on bass and Kelly Martin on drums.

Because Garner could not write down his musical ideas, he recorded them on tape. Others later transcribed these recordings.

The Erroll Garner Club was founded in 1982 in Aberlady, Scotland. On September 26, 1992, fans of Garner from England, Scotland, Germany, and the US met in London for a special event. Eddie Calhoun (bassist) and Kelly Martin (drummer), who were part of Garner's rhythm section from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, were honored guests. On June 15, 1996, fans in the UK gathered in Cheltenham to celebrate what would have been Garner's 75th birthday. That evening, they learned of the death of jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald.

In 2012, a film titled No One Can Hear You Read was released by Atticus Brady. The film includes footage of Garner playing and speaking, combined with interviews. Interviewees include admirers such as Woody Allen, Steve Allen, Ahmad Jamal, Ernest McCarty, and family members like Ruth Garner Moore and Kim Garner. It also includes interviews with George Avakian, the producer of Concert by the Sea, and Jim Doran, Garner's biographer. The film tries to explain why Garner's popularity declined after his death and highlights his importance in jazz history.

On June 15, 2015, the estate of Martha Glaser, Garner's long-time manager, announced the Erroll Garner Jazz Project. This project includes donating the Erroll Garner Archive—a large collection of newly discovered historical materials from Garner's life—to the University of Pittsburgh.

On September 18, 2015, Concert by the Sea was re-released by Sony Legacy in a three-CD edition with 11 previously unreleased tracks.

On September 30, 2016, Ready Take One was released by Sony Legacy/Octave, featuring 14 previously unreleased tracks.

On July 13, 2018, a live recording of Garner's 1964 performance at the Concertgebouw in the Netherlands was released by Mack Avenue Records. The recording is titled Nightconcert.

Garner was posthumously featured on the track "All Night Parking" from Adele's fourth studio album, 30 (2021). The song uses a sample from Joey Pecoraro's "Finding Parking" (2017), which in turn samples Garner's 1964 live performance of "No More Shadows" on the BBC television program Jazz 625.

In 2016, Downtown Music Publishing signed an exclusive worldwide administration agreement with Octave Music Publishing Corp. The deal covers all of Garner's works, including "Misty," as well as his extensive archive of master recordings, many of which have not yet been released.

Discography

• Penthouse Serenade (1945–1949), Savoy MG12002
• Serenade To Laura (1945–1949), Savoy MG12003
• Giants of the Piano (split album with Art Tatum) (1947 Hollywood recordings with Red Callender, Hal West), Roost 2213; Vogue LAE 12209
• Early in Paris (1948), Blue Music Group
• Back To Back (split album with Billy Taylor) (1949), Savoy MG12008
• Erroll Garner (August 1949) (Los Angeles recordings with John Simmons, Alvin Stoller), (2 volumes: Joker BM 3718 and BM 3719)
• The Greatest Garner (1949–1950), Atlantic 1227
• Piano Moods (1950), Columbia CL6139 [10"]
• Gems (1951), Columbia CL6173 [10"]; (1954); Columbia CL583 [12"]
• Solo Flight (1952), Columbia CL6209 [10"]; Philips B 07602 R [10"]
• Plays for Dancing (1953), Columbia CL6259 [10"]; (1956) Columbia CL667 [12"]
• Erroll Garner (At the Piano) (1953) (with Wyatt Ruther, Fats Heard), Columbia CL535; Philips B 07015 L; reissue: CBS [UK] 62 311
• Gone With Garner (1954), EmArcy MG26042
• Garnering (1954), EmArcy MG36026
• Mambo Moves Garner (1954), Mercury MG20055
• Contrasts (1955), EmArcy MG36001
• Erroll! (Erroll Garner In The Land Of Hi-Fi) (1954–1955), EmArcy MG36069
• Plays Misty (1954–1955), Mercury MG20662
• Solitaire (1955), Mercury MG20063
• Afternoon of an Elf (1955), Mercury MG20090
• Gone Garner Gonest (1955), Columbia CL617
• Music for Tired Lovers, with Woody Herman singing (!) (1955), Columbia CL651
• Concert by the Sea (September 19, 1955), Columbia CL883; also released later in an expanded three-CD version The Complete Concert by the Sea (2015)
• Garnerland (1955), Columbia CL2540 [10"] released in Columbia's "House Party Series"
• He's Here! He's Gone! He's Garner! (1956), Columbia CL2606 [10"] released in Columbia's "House Party Series"
• After Midnight (1956), Columbia CL-834
• The Most Happy Piano (1957), Columbia CL939 [Italian CBS reissue, Il magico pianoforte di Erroll Garner, CBS Serie Rubino 52065, 1967]
• Other Voices, with Mitch Miller and orchestra (1957), Columbia CL1014
• Soliloquy (1957), Columbia CL1060
• Encores in Hi-Fi (1958), Columbia CL1141
• Paris Impressions, Vol. 1 (1958), Columbia CL1212
• Paris Impressions, Vol. 2 (1958), Columbia CL1213
• The One and Only Erroll Garner (1960), Columbia C1452
• Swinging Solos (1960), Columbia CL1512
• The Provocative Erroll Garner (1961), Columbia CL1587
• Dreamstreet (1961), ABC-Paramount 365
• Closeup in Swing (1961), ABC-Paramount 395
• Informal Piano Improvisations (1962), Baronet B-109
• One World Concert (1963), Reprise R9-6080
• A New Kind of Love: Erroll Garner with Full Orchestra, Conducted by Leith Stevens (1963), Mercury SR-60859; Phillips BL 7595
• Mr. Erroll Garner and the Maxwell Davis Trio (1964), Crown CLP-5404
• Serenade in Blue (1964), Clarion 610
• Amsterdam Concert (November 7, 1964), Philips BL 7717; Philips 632 204 BL
• Erroll Garner Plays (1965), Ember FA 2011
• Now Playing: A Night at the Movies (1965), MGM SE-4335
• Campus Concert (1966), MGM SE-4361
• That's My Kick (1967), MGM SE-4463
• Up in Erroll's Room (Featuring 'The Brass Bed') (1968), MGM SE-4520; Pye International NSPL.28123
• Feeling is Believing (1970), Mercury SR-61308
• Gemini (1972), London XPS-617
• Magician (1974), London APS-640
• Play it Again, Erroll! (1975), Columbia PG-33424 (double album)
• The Elf: The Savoy Sessions (1976), Savoy SJL-2207 (double album)
• Erroll Garner Plays Gershwin & Kern (1976), Polydor [Fr] 2445 030; (1985), EmArcy 826 224
• Yesterdays (1978), Savoy SJL-1118
• Long Ago and Far Away (1987), Columbia CK-40863
• Body & Soul (1991), Columbia CK-47035
• Erroll Garner's Finest Hour (2003) Verve 589 775
• The Complete Concert by the Sea (2015), Columbia/Legacy 888751208421 (3-CD set)
• The Real…Erroll Garner (The Ultimate Collection) (2016), Sony Music 889853056323 (3-CD set)

Personal life

Garner never married, but he had a daughter named Kim Garner. Kim Garner was interviewed in the 2012 film No One Can Hear You Read.