Erroll Garner: The Classic Trio Recordings 1949

Rating: ★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Erroll Garner (p)
John Simmons
Alvin Stoller
Leonard Gaskin
Charlie Smith

Label:

Acrobat

February/2021

Media Format:

2 CD

Catalogue Number:

ADDCD3331

RecordDate:

February-September 1949

The big problem throughout the issue history of these trio sessions recorded by Savoy is that they are technically poor recordings and that of the seven sessions here, the piano is woefully out of tune on the majority of them. The 1993 Savoy reissue (made by Japanese Columbia) added a degree of wow and flutter to the mix that is largely absent here, but some distortion – which might have been eliminated – seems to persist, making (for instance) the 1949 ‘More Than You Know’ almost unlistenable. That some tracks also still have the pops and crackles of the LP they were taken from suggests not much attention was given to putting these things right, or minimising their effect. A pair of tracks on Ocium's 2003 compilation of Garner's early work shows that it is possible to improve the quality dramatically. So, putting such issues aside, what we have on this set is some of Garner's transitional period playing, from the era between his early stride work (as on the 1945 Overture to Dawn albums most recently reissued by Charly) and his mature style, which we find in the 1953 trio with Wyatt Ruther and Fats Heard. As a Garner primer, I'd say the 2005 Naxos series of reissues have the edge both editorially and technically.

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