Saturday, December 29th, 2007
The greatest jazz pianists: Oscar Peterson - Erroll Garner - Art Tatum
Oscar Peterson has displayed through his eclecticism, an acute awareness of the history of jazz piano, ranging from stride to bop, from James P. Johnson to Bill Evans, but always with Art Tatum as an abiding influence.
Nicknamed “The Elf“, Erroll Garner was the first jazz pianist since Fats Waller to appeal to the non-jazz audience and the first jazzman ever to achieve popular acclaim by this audience without recourse to singing or clowning.
Art Tatum appears to stand to one side of the developing thrust of jazz, yet his creativity and the manner in which he explored harmonic complexities and unusual chord sequences influenced many musicians, including Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell, Herbie Hancock and especially non-pianist, amongst whom can be listed Charlie Parker and John Coltrane.
The greatest jazz pianists tracklist:
FACE A
- I can’t escape from you (Erroll Garner)
- I surrender dear (Oscar Peterson)
- Smoke gets in your eyes (Art Tatum)
- Erroll’s blues (Erroll Garner)
- Flying home (Oscar Peterson)
FACE B
- Stairway to the stars (Erroll Garner)
- Cherokee (Art Tatum)
- Back home in Indiana (Oscar Peterson)
- Erroll’s bounce (Erroll Garner)
- Out of nowhere (Art Tatum)
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Tuesday, December 25th, 2007
Who’s Erroll Garner?
Erroll Garner, born in Pittburgh in 1921, makes his debut in New York in 1944, played with the Slam STEWART Trio, then forms his own band and has ever since been very successful. He tours the world several times and his last performance in Europe took place in 1968.
Featured album: “The king of jazz piano”
Garner’s play is complete: a very musical piano technique, very rich harmonic improvisations, an extreme mobility in the right hand touch and a powerful left hand. The delay of tempo between the two hands creates a very extraordinary balance of rhythm which makes his play easy to recognize since the very first notes. Actually, Erroll Garner is considered, by fans and jazz musicians, the best, if not the greatest pianist in jazz.
The record “The king of jazz piano” contains the most famous and the most beautiful american melodies: some of them slow, where Garner rhapsodies with rapture, others of medium tempo, where Garner shows his art at its best.
A selection of the best jazz records in the famous American magazine “Play-Boy”, gave these recordings as the best Erroll Garner made since the beginning of his career.
King of jazz piano tracklist:
FACE A
- Body and soul
- Laura
- Red sails in the sunset
- I can’t believe that you’re in love with me
- Stardust
- More than you know
- All of me
- All the things you are
FACE B:
- On the sunny side of the street
- Penthouse serenade
- I only have eyes for you
- I surrender dear
- Confessin’
- September song
- I’m in the mood for love
- Rosalie
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