June 15th Birthday Love: Erroll Garner

Erroll Garner | Gilles Petard/Redferns

“Every time he played piano, you could hear the smile in his touch, you could hear the smile in his rhythmic approach.”

– Jazz Pianist George Shearing

Jazz/swing pianist and composer Erroll Garner was born on this day, June 15, 1923, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Garner is well known for his excellent keyboard skills, being a mostly self-taught pianist who played by ear and could remember piano pieces after hearing them only once, as well as for his distinctive jazz piano style.

Erroll Garner and Clint Eastwood

Some of his most popular songs are “Autumn Leaves,” “Lullaby of Birdland,” and “Misty,” which became a jazz standard and was featured in Clint Eastwood’s 1971 directorial debut Play Misty For Me.

Here is Erroll Garner playing “Misty” in the old BRT studio in Brussels, Belgium.

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