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Personnel: Erroll Garner (piano); Johnny Hartman (vocals); John Simmons, Leonard Gaskin (bass); Doc West, Charlie Smith, Alvin Stoller (drums). Recorded in Los Angeles, California and New York, New York in 1949-50. Includes liner notes by Anatol Schenker. The four tracks that open this tenth volume in the Classics Erroll Garner chronology represent a sort of distilled essence of Garner. They are a marvelous byproduct of a special sort of artistic chemistry that existed between the diminutive Pittsburgh pianist, bassist John Simmons, and drummer Alvin Stoller. Soon after these two rosy bounces, each backed with a pair of lush ballads, were brought out on the modest Portrait record label, the masters were snapped up, reissued, and widely disseminated by Savoy. On August 23, 1949, Erroll Garner's trio provided musical accompaniment for mellifluous crooner Johnny Hartman. These four Mercury recordings, rare examples of Garner the accompanist, form a languid bridge between Hartman's formative years with Earl Hines and Dizzy Gillespie and his magnificent later work with Howard McGhee and John Coltrane. Using the same players, bassist Leonard Gaskin and drummer Charlie Smith, Garner polished off eight delightful sides for the 3 Deuces label on September 8, 1949. "Scatter Brain," made famous by saxophonist and bandleader Freddy Martin, here seems as rambunctious as the personality of the pianist who has gotten a hold of it. His "What Is This Thing Called Love?" is almost as magical as James P. Johnson's groundbreaking version of 1930. Garner's wonderfully slow treatment of "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" carries with it a cloud of blues and soul that might not have materialized at a quicker tempo. This artist's full majesty is in evidence during ruminative readings of Gordon Jenkins' "Goodbye" and Thomas Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz." A rare 1950 piano solo, originally issued on the Futurama label, is followed with eight equally uncommon sides from the Royal Roost catalog featuring once again bassist John Simmons and now drummer Harold "Doc" West. "Bonny Boy" is of course Garner's private approach to "Danny Boy," the Irish air from County Derry. In addition to initiating a smart stroll up Hoagy Carmichael's "Lazy River," this excellent session enabled the pianist to stretch out and explore several bop-informed improvisation vehicles of his own devising: "Minor with the Trio," "Tippin' Out with Erroll," and "Relaxin' at Sugar Ray's." This volume of vintage mid-20th century piano jazz belongs among the best Erroll Garner compilations in the Classics catalog, or anywhere else for that matter. As an extra treat the CD packaging provides a friendly snapshot of Erroll Garner relaxing in the company of Sarah Vaughan and Mitch Miller. ~ arwulf arwulf
