Erroll Garner and Stride Piano... 

Art Tatum admired Erroll Garner and said to his fellows: "Don't forget the little man!"

his face expressions says enough. He's enjoying it ! 😄👏

Thanks for posting this video. I could listen to Erroll Garner all day and night!

This has everything. Fats Waller's swing, James P. Johnson's stride technique, Art Tatum/Oscar Peterson's razor-sharp right hand and... Erroll's limitless imagination. It's funny that since Erroll Garner is primarily associated with other playing styles, many people don't even realise that he was, among other things, actually one of the very best stride pianists of all time.

🎹 Yes , there were many jazz piano greats. But no one had a more original style and infectious sound which kept evolving as he grew older and never grew stale. I am speaking of Erroll Garner... the KING! 'Nuff said.

I never cease to be amaze by this guy

I could listen to this until the end of my life

I think he's embodiment of pure joy seals the deal for me

just puts a smile on your face!

Errol followed many players including Earl Hines Art Tatum Fats Waller etc . They were all great and unique . They all played forhours and hours a day learning from other pianist

The big problem with stride is in the left hand. Most pianists used the same accent on the bass notes and the chords. Fats was the first to play like an orchestra. He was able to play an accentuated bass and the chord that followed like a guitar strumming. James P and Willie came from ragtime and had that typical ' oompah' style. Fats was far more subtle. For him both hands were just as important. Tatum was incredible, but his right hand overshadowed his left.

An absolute monster at the piano!!! Genius!

Its comforting to know that even the great Erroll Garner had to actually look at his left hand when playing such fact stride piano!

Just amazing!!!!!!

Unbelievable

aw!! beau tifull syncing between piano and bass sooo tight !!

The man is a genius

Amazing!

GREAT!!

HOOPLAH!!! I did know that Mr. Garner had a good left hand but this was a surprise! By the way, talking about piano players and unexpected solos, check out Albert Ammons and "Ammons Stomp" ! Really heavy boogie-woogie and at the bridge at the end of the recording he burst out in a really mindblowing stride.

thanks

whatever it is, it's really great, full of life and energy.

Great Muso and sits beautifully , ergonomicly high HIGH

That bass player knows his stuff watching that left hand of Errol. Errol Garner was fantastic,even though he didnt read ...God Gifted to the fullest.He Broke down the notion that you have to read in order to be good

The Stride masters worked with bass players all the time. For them, the bass was additional color.

Super, n 1

@theallenboy - Most who love and know jazz would agree Tatum was the best. But to say 'Tatum killed this dude' man, that's just plain ignorance. Garner had badass chops, an improvising imagination like nobody's, and at the keyboard was joy incarnate. Dizzy Gillespie, who probably knew almost as much about jazz as you, theallenboy, said Garner was 'our most sanctified pianist'. Look it up and check it out. Anyway, when you get to this level of titans, comparing is foolish. It's Mt Olympus, baby!

Maybe DEFILER can help, in some of CLINT EASTWOODS, films whenever it seems to need quiet 'mood-music', he or they ''noodle piano blues which i really enjoy, where should I search for this type of piano music, thankyou

@Defiler- Fats Waller did not largely play ragtime. Your description of the difference is pretty accurate. Fats Waller was one of the great stride Pianists, as well as being a great entertainer. No doubt he could play Ragtime but that was not his primary playing style.

@guweck i have to respectfully agree with you too, everybody knows Fats was MAINLY a stride pianist. In fact how could someone not tell the difference

Pianos are cheaper than you think - seriously! I've always had an upright at home, and never paid more than $200 for it. Check Craigslist and your local newspaper - these days, people are always getting rid of pianos, and often they're actually GIVING them away as long as you're willing to pick them up. Then shop around with movers, I can usually find one for less than $100. Last, if you want, find somebody to tune it, or learn to tune yourself - that's what I did. Go out and get one!

That comment about Dizzy Gillespie actually made me laugh out loud :D

Isn't he quoting at the end "fly me to the moon"?

How wonderful of you to remember Fats Waller, “the black Horowitz”. Today, May 21st 2016 is the 102nd anniversary of his birth. Please check out my youtube channel honoring Fats and other great African-American musicians like Ernest Hogan, “father of ragtime”; Robert Johnson, “king of the Delta blues singers” Sidney Bechet (the first notable jazz saxophonist); and James Brown, godfather of soul - all born in the month of May.

@wteo340 jazz is a very complex style and countless number of people have tried to define its timing... personally i would simply put it as 12/8, though it's written in 4/4 the lilt is implied, giving it a 12/8 feel... if you ever improvise in a triplet feel it always sounds right... in the 60's a few pianists started playing straight jazz, 8ths and 16ths.... but the truth is simply just play, your mind will find the feel, it's best not to look too deep into what makes it tick

no, johnson and the lion also have much swing. and tatums left is obviously magnificent.

no point of the bassist with a left like that on keys :-X

Ok hes a beast, but listen to the simplicity of his left hand playing the bass line. From :26 on is sick, "comping".

@wteo340 i watched a bit of your vid and am confused! you're playing in 12/8... i didnt hear all of it though but the first minute of so is 12/8.... you can hear the lilt in the music.... i dont see how you can say it's in 4/4, it might be written in common time, but you're playing with a triplet feel

@sirjoshire Honeysuckle Rose

Erroll sounds like 3 pianos!

@wteo340 how can you NOT know he is a stride pianist xD

Who is this and who was that ? - I love Errol Garner and I´m sure he loves you !

@slapmyfunkybass The lilt you hear is the deliberate syncopation to create the groove when this type of music is played, but it isn't in 12/8 time. If you google up "boogie woogie sheet music" or "stride piano sheet music" you will see that none is written using 12/8. But I cannot contest when you say that ragtime is written either in 2/4 or 4/4. That I'm not sure myself because I never liked ragtime.

1.-El STRIDE, estilo consistente en un peculiar juego armónico-rítmico con la mano izquierda, tocando alternativamente dos acordes a ritmo, mientras la derecha toca la melodía e improvisa en el piano; fue creado principalmente por el magnífico compositor y pianista JAMES P. JOHNSON . El gran ERROL GARNER, toca aquí stride desde el 0:28.

Also, look up Johnny Costa, who I believe is better than Tatum in some regards. In fact, Tatum called him the "White Tatum".

@slapmyfunkybass p.s. I understand what you are saying though, because I also write notation for my students who are piano teachers themselves and in my sheet music it is indicated "Although written with quavers, the notes are to be played with a syncopated swing feel". I was classically trained by the way.

@slapmyfunkybass So now you admit that stride is written in 2/4 and 4/4. To tell you the truth, I don't really care about music theory. I've always just been just playing. It is evident from my video how I enjoy playing, and I never use sheet music, although I do know how to read.

@wteo340 no he never... he played stride, he was not a ragtime pianist by any means... waller is known as one of the greatest stride pianist ever so how he got that title when going by you he didnt even play that style is quite amazing

Yes, Tatum was the best pianist if you judge by technique. But you should not. For me, Garner was the best. He did not only have great technique, but great ability to create a melodic masterpiece of every standard that he played. I am not saying that Tatum was'nt fantastic, but for me he just pushed the "technical wizardy" too hard.

@slapmyfunkybass Left Hand Stride is usually played in common time - with the 1st and 3rd beats playing a low bass note and the 2nd and 4th beats comping a chord somewhere in the middle of the register, hence the oom-pah oom-pah feel.

garner played a bit of every jazz style... he used to play in the same place as tatum and hold his own...

El STRIDE, estilo consistente en un peculiar juego armónico-rítmico con la mano izquierda, mientras la derecha toca la melodía en el piano, fue creado por el magnífico JAMES P. JOHNSON y otros. Aparece aqui, tocado por el también magnífico ERROL GARNER, desde el minuto 0:28.

@wteo340 I´ll have to disagree very respectfully: Fats Waller, one of my favourite pianist (the other ones are Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson) played stride indeed. He usually played the tenth-chords that you mentioned. It´s true that he played classic ragtime pieces, but the style that he played was stride.

I'm reading the comments and I read Tatum, Oscar etc. are better than Erroll ! Don't people get it? To me, there is no " Best " ! Everyone brings his own style to a piece! For me, they're ALL THE BEST !!

@wteo340 to answer your question i play bass and piano... i studied classical piano around 20 yrs ago but have always played jazz... yes, you are right, stride can be played in 4/4, but here garner is playing it with a lilt so i would have said 12/8... stride can be played in 12/8 which gives it a swing feel, this could be achieved by playing the bass octaves not at the same time but the 1 and 2 of the triplet, then playing the harmonies on the 2 and 4 beats of the bar

garner was one of tatums favourites. he even called him his legitimate follower. so inform yourself before talking, okay?

@slapmyfunkybass Watch the part from 7:42 onwards. That is stride on the left hand and dixieland on the right. The first half was boogie woogie. I was not playing in 12/8 at any time thoughout the show. Go look up The Irish Washerwoman on youtube (orchestral version) and listen carefully to the melody; where the notes fall in in relation to the bass.

@slapmyfunkybass The right hand played by Garner on this page sounded like 12/8 time but in fact is not. He played a series of 8 quavers in common time but the 4th and 8th quavers were played very softly so it sounded like just 6 quavers.

@slapmyfunkybass 12/8 time is usually used for music played by scottish bands like those you hear in Change-of-Guard ceremonies outside the palace. Check out The Irish Washerwoman. THAT is 12/8 time, which is 4 sets of triplets played in a measure, sounding like this "prrraa-pa-pa, prrraa-pa-pa, prrraa-pa-pa, prrraa-pa-pa"

Tatum killed this dude, dont start that crap!

all that's missing is gene kelly dancing ...love how errol garners personality transports to the ivories

@TheBluePianist It's interesting to note that Tatum was Garners mentor and no doubt influenced the latters virtuosic improvisations, although the playing styles of both men were of course very different.

@Surmusicp Cannot be compared. Fats Waller largely played ragtime, which is very different from stride. Ragtime had more octaves which were closer to the chords comped, while stride involved bigger leaps, hitting lower base notes and more tenths to accomplish greater coverage. It's true though when you said he had a very clear and rich bass.

@slapmyfunkybass I do not know how well versed you are in music, or if you even play any instrument, but I'd have to say you're mistaken(albeit most respectfully) when you say that stride has a triplet feel. If you watch my video, Samedi à Lycée Français avec Alvin Teo (Extended Scenes), you will notice that I played stride in some parts and during the last 3 minutes of the show. My left hand played stride while my right played dixieland.

@wteo340 hey wteo, calm down man.... relax the mind and let's forget about the whole saga... garner was a great stride pianist, i would say up there with waller... in fact, garner was a fantastic pianist at any jazz style, up there with the greatest, but sadly overlooked by so many... listen to a piece of joplin and you'll hear the difference between stride and ragtime... ragtime isn't strictly jazz, based mostly in 2/4, stride usually is played in 12/8, a triplet feel, a jazz feel...

Garner was a self-taught pianist and remained an "ear player" all his life, never learning to read music.

exactly! and imagine if he could read and knew theory!

stride is wrriten in 2/4 and 4/4 but can also be played with a swing feel and therefore taken into a triplet feel.... you're too rigid in your line of thinking, any style can be converted from one to the other... stevie wonder's isnt she lovely is a shuffle, but can be played straight... there are no rules to music, only guidelines

@slapmyfunkybass Seems like you still haven't gotten the grasp of what triplets really are. Ask any music professor to do a demo for you. Or maybe you just like to call it a "triplet feel" I suppose. Still, I don't care to agree or disagree. I'll just say you are right then.

all this tatum killed him shit... i like coffee and i like tea - doesnt mean i have to constantly bang on about which is better though...

too bad that Garner was Tatums favourite pianist of those who came after him...

Yeah, you got it...yes listen to tatum, and oscar Peterson ...

I don't know... Like saying, imagine if Garner could also do brain surgery and brew world-class beer. I prefer to just be amazed by, and take joy in, what he was.

The worst cameraman ever; fancy NOT showing Erroll's hands during the stride passage.....