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Erroll GarnerAmerican jazz pianist, bandleader, composer
Date of Birth: 15.06.1921
Country: ![]() |
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Erroll Garner Biography
Erroll Garner was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer. He was a remarkable innovator and virtuoso of the jazz piano, developing his unique "orchestral" style, which earned him the nickname "the man with 40 fingers". Many pianists, including Oscar Peterson, George Shearing, Monty Alexander, Ahmad Jamal, Ellis Larkins, Red Garland, Martial Solal, and Dave Brubeck, were influenced by Garner's playing.

Early Life
Erroll Garner was born on June 15, 1921, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the fifth child in his family. His father played saxophone and guitar, while his mother sang and played the piano. His older brother Linton Garner was a trumpeter, pianist, and arranger, and his other siblings also played musical instruments. Garner developed an interest in music at a very young age. By the age of 3, he was picking out melodies on the piano with both hands. He later became interested in playing the trumpet and gave home concerts at the age of 6. He quickly gained a following of fans for his talent.

During his school years, Garner briefly took lessons from a teacher named Mrs. Alexander, who also taught other famous musicians such as Dodo Marmarosa, Billy Strayhorn, and Mary Lou Williams. However, he did not receive formal musical education due to his reluctance to learn to read sheet music. A music teacher, whom his mother had invited, recognized Garner's talent and told him that he didn't need to know how to read sheet music. As a result, Garner skipped the stage of learning music theory and went straight to interpretation and composition.

Professional Career
Garner began his professional career at a very young age. At the age of 10, he performed on a local radio program called "Candy Kids". By the age of 11, he was playing in local clubs and on excursion boats. He played during breaks between radio shows, performed with the Pittsburgh Army Band, and even played during theatrical performances. In 1937, he started playing with various local orchestras. In 1944, Garner moved to New York City, where he performed in various ensembles at clubs and bars such as Tondelayo and Three Deuces. He gained recognition from many musicians and jazz enthusiasts. Notable people such as Robert Sylvester, Barry Ulanov, and Leonard Feather often came to listen to his performances. He also collaborated with the duo Slim & Slam.
Garner's popularity increased after his performances in California. His first solo album, "Laura", was a huge success, selling over 500,000 copies. In 1947, he collaborated with Charlie Parker and participated in Parker's quartet and recording sessions for the "Cool Blues" series. He performed with other bebop musicians and took part in legendary jam sessions. However, Garner never fully embraced the bebop style and remained true to his own style, which drew influences from swing, stride, boogie-woogie, and block chords.
During this time, Garner often visited the apartment of renowned artist Ines Caveno, where he played and accompanied her. Ines later recalled that Garner once stared at the light of a table lamp for a long time and, in that moment, wrote a composition called "Lamplight". Many of his compositions were inspired by various objects, scenes, or reactions.
Garner eventually settled on the trio as his preferred musical ensemble. In 1948, he traveled to Paris to perform at a festival with his trio, where he was warmly received by the European audience. In the early 1950s, Garner's career skyrocketed. He embarked on endless tours, performed in clubs and on television (including appearances with symphony orchestras), and recorded albums in studios.
His most successful albums were "Concert By The Sea" (1956), which sold over a million copies and was reissued in the Soviet Union, and the ballad "Misty" (1954), which he wrote during a cloudy and gloomy flight from Chicago to New York and became immensely popular in 1959.
Garner became the first jazz musician to have a personal concert with a philharmonic orchestra in Cleveland in 1950. He received numerous awards from magazines such as Esquire, Metronome, Down Beat, and Playboy.
He was the author of several famous jazz pieces, including "Dreamy", "Mambo Erroll", "Play Piano Play", "That's My Kick", "Moment's Delight", "Passing Through", "Up In Errol's Room", "Feeling Is Believing", "Mambo Carmell, Erroll's Theme", and many others.
Throughout his career, Garner had various musicians in his trio, including bassists Al Hall, John Levy, El Lucas, Red Callender, Eddie Calhoun, and Ike Isaacs, as well as drummers Specs Powell, Hal West, Joe Harris, Shadow Wilson, Denzil Best, and others.
In 1965, Garner composed music for the film "A New Kind of Love". He then toured Latin America and Asia, appeared on numerous TV shows, and participated in charity events, such as Eurovision broadcasts for disabled children.
In 1975, Garner was forced to retire from performing due to illness. He unexpectedly passed away in Los Angeles on January 2, 1977, from a sudden heart attack, which was a complication of pneumonia.