Christian Sands' Guide To NIGHTCONCERT - Part Three
Creative ambassador and co-producer of the Nightconcert record, pianist Christian Sands leads listeners on a song-by-song journey through side C of Erroll Garner's midnight recording at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw.
“Erroll Garner and Nightconcert represent possibilities. He has a full grasp of all musical styles, and you can hear it through his compositions and arrangements on this album.”
SIDE C
08 GYPSY IN MY SOUL
A fun swinger full of energy and joy. This tune in particular shows Garner’s imaginative orchestrating skills, which earned him the nickname “Ork” (so dubbed by pianist Jimmy Rowles). The trio swings from start to finish with a true big-band sound.
©1937 [m] Clay Boland, [w] Moe Jaffe | Words and Music Inc. (ASCAP)
09 THAT AMSTERDAM SWING
EG begins with abstract pointillism, outlining the blues. His melodies seem to flow on top of one another, perhaps resembling or echoing the narrow winding streets of Amsterdam. From there, the trio turns into a driving, strutting blues.
©2017 [m] Erroll Garner Octave Music Publ Corp./Downtown DLJ Songs (ASCAP)
10 OVER THE RAINBOW
Garner flows like a dream across the Bechstein grand in this tender rendition of Over the Rainbow. Every now and then, throwing some twists and turns with blues riffs, EG shows his masterful understanding of melody.
©1939 [m] Harold Arlen, [w] Yip Harburg | EMI Feist Catalog Inc./EMI April Music Inc. (ASCAP)
11 WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED LOVE
Dances from beginning to end—the dynamic introduction slides into that familiar boogaloo mambo swing that the trio plays so well. EG’s reading of this Cole Porter classic is both coy and confident.
©1929 [w+m] Cole Porter |WB Music Corp (ASCAP)
Check back for the final part of this series.