The Influences, Uniqueness and Diversity of Erroll Garner's Compositions

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Recommended: History of Jazz music

Erroll Garner (1921 - 1977) was a sophisticated jazz pianist referred to as .".. a brilliant virtuoso who sounded unlike anyone else..." . His approach to music was in the style of "Swing Music" as well as "Bop", but he still had a very unique, individual style that was heavily influenced by his lack of training (he wasn't taught how to read music), as well as many composers and particular playing styles. Over time, garner developed his own style and has been referred to as a pioneer of the "hard swinging jazz style."

The distinctiveness of Garner's individuality has often been discussed and many people believe he was ."..ultimately a very idiosyncratic player, and he didn't fit well into any of the standard piano style groupings of 40's and 50's jazz." However, it was the rare uniqueness that people admired and appreaciated that brought the chic American jazz pianist to fame.

Garner had many characteristics and traits evident throughout his compositions that help to identify the character of some his compositional styles. These techniques include octaval melodies, broken chords and tremolos, syncopation, extended chords, chromaticism and polyrhythms. All of these are obvious, common traits of past and present jazz music.

Examples of these are in the following sound excerpts:

"Dreamstreet", 1961 - tremolos and syncopation

"Left Bank Swing", 1958 - syncopation and octaval melodies "It Gets Better Every Time", 1974 - chromaticism "Other Voices", 1964 - extended chords (Sound "Misty", 1954 - broken chords and polyrhythms

These excerpts also supply an understanding of the diversity of Garner's compositions. Many composers develop and maintain a particular conceptual style that is evident throughout all their piec...

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...een his "Bop" and "Swing" pieces as he follows the basic ideas of the difference between "Bop" and "Swing" - the average tempo is faster, there are higher displays of virtuosity, the piece is more complex and often there is a more agitated feel. Many of these characteristics are displayed in the piece, "Play Piano Play", which can be contrasted to that of "Dreamy" for example.

To sum up, the uniqueness and diversity of Erroll Garner's compositions are a result of his many major influences, which are not just the basics of his influences from other composers (e.g. Earl Hines and Art Tatum), but of the time he was composing (when Bop originated) and the people he was surrounded by (particularly his musical upbringing), and most importantly, how people responded to his uniqueness and diversity encouraged him to become the amazing composer that all remember him by.

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