Thought of the Day 6.15.12

“Every day when I sit down to play, I learn something new.”
—Erroll Garner

Erroll Garner was born this day Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in 1923. He would have been 89 years old.

Self taught Jazz pianist  and composer who played on more than 200 albums. Garner came from a musical family and began to play piano at the age of three. He was ambidextrous and his signature sound involved playing the beat on the left hand (think rhythm guitar on the piano) while playing ahead of the beat with his right hand.  He was a session musician for hundreds of other jazz and classical artist, but he was most often found behind the piano with a jazz trio.

His hits include “Laura” “Misty” “Nightwind” “The Loving Touch” “Paris Mist” “Gaslight” “Dreamy” and “That’s My Kick”. His 1958 album “Concert by the Sea” is one of the best selling jazz albums  of all time.

[Portrait of Erroll Garner, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948] (LOC) (Photo credit: The Library of Congress)