Erroll Garner - Concert By The Sea (1979 Japanese CBS/Sony Vinyl LP Mono)

Erroll Garner - Concert By The Sea | Vinyl LP Mono - 1979 Japanese CBS/Sony Reissue (20AP 1470)

Garner couldn't read music. He learned piano by ear at the age of three in Pittsburgh, replicating everything his teacher played, and he never lost that reliance on his ear and his memory. What emerged was one of the most instantly recognisable styles in jazz: the left hand strumming chords like a rhythm guitar while the right hand played melodies that lagged behind the beat, creating a rolling, swinging tension that was entirely his own. He was 5'4" (Art Tatum called him "The Little Man") and he played with a joy that communicated immediately to audiences. By September 1955 he had recorded his signature composition "Misty" and signed with Columbia. The Carmel concert was, on paper, just another gig, an off-night from a San Francisco nightclub engagement, paying $650. His bassist borrowed an instrument from a local military post rather than hauling his own. Nobody from Columbia bothered to travel down for the show. But the performance the trio gave that evening, refreshed by the drive down the Pacific Coast Highway and lifted by a receptive audience, turned out to be one for the ages.

"I'll Remember April" opens the album at a bright, rolling tempo that shows Garner's rhythmic approach immediately. "Autumn Leaves" is the most famous track, Garner taking the standard through one of his characteristic out-of-tempo introductions before the trio locks into a swinging groove. "It's All Right With Me" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me" demonstrate his command of the Great American Songbook. "Where Or When" and "April in Paris" are the ballads. Throughout, Calhoun and Best provide unobtrusive support, keeping the rhythm steady while Garner does what he does. The album sold over 225,000 copies in its first year and reportedly brought Columbia a million dollars by 1958, extraordinary figures for a jazz record and among the best-selling in the music's history. It became the album that introduced countless listeners to jazz piano.

This is the 1979 Japanese mono reissue on CBS/Sony 20AP 1470, from the CBS Favorite Jazz 100 series, manufactured by CBS/Sony Inc., with cap obi and insert and a red CBS/Sony label.