Born 100 years ago, the jazz pianist created an exuberant, one-of-a-kind style that continues to garner followers. Erroll Garner was a phenomenon. He didn’t sing, dance or tell jokes. He never said a word when he performed. All he did was play the piano.
With Ernest McCarty bass, Jose Mangual conga drum, William English drums
Read NEA Jazz Master Dan Morgenstern's Grammy winning essays and album notes on Erroll Garner:
https://bit.ly/3z67Dty
...from Dan Morgenstern's Grammy winning essay "Best Album Notes" 1981 for the album "Erroll Garner, Master of the Keyboard" BOMR 81-5403
"Erroll Garner was a phenomenon. He didn’t sing, dance or tell jokes. He never said a word when he performed. All he did was play the piano. Yet he captured the hearts and minds of millions of listeners all over the world, becoming the most popular solo jazz instrumentalist of his time—a feat even more remarkable because his was a time when jazz was dwarfed in popularity by the gigantic media event called rock ‘n’ roll."
Full "Just Jazz" Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvTQNNamp01H_fgU3V7xvqD8NUUqoqMJA
Delve into rare and historic jazz performances rediscovered by Hank Hehmsoth, jazz scholar and 2019 Morroe Berger-Benny Carter-Edward Berger Jazz Research Fellow at Rutgers University’s Institute of Jazz Studies. Unearthed from the uncatalogued Dan Morgenstern Collection, these extraordinary 1970 Just Jazz TV broadcasts, presumed lost for 50 years, capture iconic moments in jazz history.
Highlights include:
🎷 The only known televised appearance of tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons
🎷 The final TV performance of jazz legend Dexter Gordon
🎷 The only U.S. TV appearance of expatriate tenorist Don Byas
Produced by NEA Jazz Master Dan Morgenstern for Chicago’s WTTW in 1970, Just Jazz showcases performances from jazz luminaries, including Billie Eckstine, Erroll Garner, and more.