Erroll Garner - Body & Soul - 1991

As was the case with Fats Waller, Erroll Garner's natural and advanced musical
talent ingratiated him to jazz aficionados and experts alike. Garner took to
the piano intuitively, never needing to take lessons because of his exceptional
ear for music. Further breaking the mold, he transcended many of the jazz styles
he came up with, including both swing and bebop. You hear the power of swing
pianist Earl Hines in his fleet and robust approach, and, yes, he once played
with Charlie Parker, but as heard on this Columbia collection from 1951-1952,
Garner concocts a unique blend of the big band's svelte rhythms and bebop's
heady swing. On the 20 gems found on Body and Soul, Garner employs a rush of
dynamics, yet never compromises the inherent lyricism of the set's many standards.
This balancing act cuts across a varied set of brisk swingers
(Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose"), fine ballads ("I Can't Get Started"), and
medium-tempo strollers ("It's the Talk of the Town"). In light of Garner's
thoroughly engaging and self-contained work at the piano, even the fact that
bassist John Simmons and drummer Shadow Wilson are practically inaudible
becomes negligible. Garner bolsters many of these "little symphonies" with clever
intros: a miniature recasting of the song's chord and harmonic structure, heard to
sublime effect here on "Summertime" and "Body and Soul" (Garner would expand
these preambles in the future, particularly on solo piano outings). And in response
to criticisms of his playing being too ornate (extra tremolo on the ballads), it should
be said that part of Garner's charm is his "old-fashioned" phrasing, part of the
romantic and urbane touch he employs to keep said indulgences in check most of
the time. Body and Soul is a fine collection of early Garner sides. Highly
recommended.

Erroll Garner - Body & Soul



01-erroll_garner-the_way_you_look_tonight.mp3
02-erroll_garner-body_and_soul.mp3
03-erroll_garner-indiana.mp3
04-erroll_garner-honeyuckle_rose.mp3
05-erroll_garner-im_in_the_mood_for_love.mp3
06-erroll_garner-i_cant_get_started.mp3
07-erroll_garner-play_piano_play.mp3
08-erroll_garner-undecided.mp3
09-erroll_garner-youre_blase.mp3
10-erroll_garner-sophisticated_lady.mp3
11-erroll_garner-aint_she_sweet.mp3
12-erroll_garner-i_didnt_know.mp3
13-erroll_garner-fine_and_dandy.mp3
14-erroll_garner-robbins_nest.mp3
15-erroll_garner-please_dont_talk_about_me_when_im_gone.mp3
16-erroll_garner-its_the_talk_of_the_town.mp3
17-erroll_garner-youre_driving_me_crazy.mp3
18-erroll_garner-ja-da.mp3
19-erroll_garner-summertime.mp3
20-erroll_garner-i_never_knew.mp3



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