2021 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Erroll Garner - and we take a preliminary dive into his music and a moment in time on the Scene.

The best-selling album “Concert By The Sea” was a watershed for jazz in the 1950’s, proving how popular the music could be, but also setting the stage for some developments in the music business that Garner and his Manager Martha Glaser were critically important in.

June 15th, 2021 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Pittsburgh Piano great Erroll Garner. A graduate of Pittsburgh’s George Westinghouse High School (as were Ahmad Jamal and Billy Strayhorn), Garner was working as a musician before he was a teenager, and went to astound the world.

His archives, now at the University of Pittsburgh, are a treasure trove of information on his career - including how he began to oversee his own recordings and creative control.

Coming up in Pittsburgh on January 24-29, Pitt’s 51st Annual Jazz Seminar will celebrate Erroll Garner in an online event with many jazz notables. More on that for next week’s show.

For now - we have sounds of Erroll, plus interviews from 1955 with Garner, bassist Eddie Calhoun and drummer Denzel Best. Plus a great tune by Denzel Best as done by Hank Garland and a very young Gary Burton, and a notable Ahmad Jamal track from the 50’s with bassist Eddie Calhoun along with pittsburgh Native, Guitarist Ray Crawford.

Warm sounds from Carmel, and great sounds from all over - on the Scene.

The Scene - Thursday at 6pm, Friday and Saturday at noon, Sunday afternoon at 5.

Playlist for the program