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Kind: News, Opinion Music Genre: Piano Categories: Music, Entertainment, Arts, Europe Published: December 18, 2009

Early solo piano recording by jazz great Erroll Garner resurfaces

By DIETRICH MATTHÄUS

Erroll Garner has often undeservingly been given the backseat in the company of other historical jazz pianists. Some only credit him as the composer of the ballad, Misty, and argue he is too "entertaining" as a player, not a "serious enough" improvising jazz musician. Still, Garner during his career enjoyed appreciation and fame beyond many others, and his name is very familiar to all professional musicians today, especially pianists. The question is, does a musician need to be gloomy, unhappy and an introvert in order to be placed in a group of musicians of historical importance? If so, the art of jazz needs to review itself, and history proves that entertainment is an equal if not a superseding element to art in the social importance of this music.

Early in Paris is an important document of Garner's early career, and was recorded in 1948. He had just received wide recognition as the pianist on Charlie Parker's "Cool Blues" session a year before, and travelled to France, as so many other American jazz musicians at the time. The title of this album actually has a triple meaning, referring to his fairly unknown original composition, his early career, and the French capital where it was recorded. His solo piano playing is generally not much different from his trio playing, and it is a little surprising he often played trio, especially in the 1960s, and not as much solo. He is able to produce the same strong, joyful bounce as always, and the flourishing cascades of the right hand on romantic ballads make his playing immediately recognizable. On this recording he is merely 27 years old, and he experiments with an otherwise seldom heard taboo: He changes the melody of well-known standards, and the result is not always a success, making the expected melody stir off the line, throwing off the listener. Thankfully, Garner abandoned this a little later in his career. Generally, however, this is a beautiful album, demonstrating both swing and ballads, as he always does. But the tunes are unusual, and so are the arrangements, making this album deserve a position in the jazz history. It has been unavailable for nearly fifty-five years, having now been reintroduced by Blue Music Group. It may not be Garner's best album, but it is a piece of consistency in his favor, both within itself and his career overall. Garner is for sure one of the most original jazz pianists of his time and needs to be regarded accordingly.

errollgarner.bluemusicgroup.com

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