No More Shadows anywhere

 

There are many things to say about Erroll Garner, whose untimely passing took place 45 years ago to the day. In his 55 years on this earth, the man managed to achieve what most would only dream of, and then some. Born into a musical family, he turned to piano from a very early age, rapidly displaying signs of rare talent. Although he had a music teacher growing up, Garner never quite learned to read or write music and would instead strictly play by ear, even when performing with the likes of Charlie Parker later on in life…

That being said, it appears the man was not only gifted at playing piano, but also remembering and transcribing music in his head. It has been reported that Garner could replicate most music that he had heard only once before at a concert. Interestingly, though, it took quite a while to notice his talent, as his older brother Linton, an accomplished pianist in his own right, was the first “star” of the family. But Erroll Garner got his way, earning a front row seat in the musical pantheon: what took him there was his outstanding skills as a composer. His classic work “Misty” has by now become a jazz standard, covered by innumerable artists to this day.

And that’s not all: Garner enjoyed considerable success in his lifetime. A frequent guest on The Tonight Show, he was a mainstay on television for years, performing on a number of shows, in the US (including on the famed Ed Sullivan Show) and abroad. And he also showcased remarkable commercial appeal: his 1955 live album Concert by the Sea stands as one of jazz’s biggest successes, selling a million copies by 1958…. His longtime manager, (white) civil rights activist Martha Glaser, may have had a little something to do with it, the point is — Mr. Garner left his mark on jazz music, and music in general.

Then, a remarkable thing happened: a few months ago, none other than British superstar Adele released her long-awaited fourth studio album, 30. One of the songs on there, “All Night Parking“, comes with an interesting bit of trivia: it is the first ever released by Adele featuring another artist… Erroll Garner. Turns out the singer discovered him thanks to Spotify’s recommendations. Gotta love those algorithms…