Happy Birthday Mr. Garner

Erroll Garner was born 101 years ago today. As we look forward to the next century of his incredible legacy we wanted to take a moment to celebrate some of the highlights of his centennial year and offer a heartfelt thanks to all of his listeners and fans.

The Liberation in Swing boxed set was the culmination of several years of concentrated work around Garner’s historic struggle for artistic freedom and the musical output that followed. The Erroll Garner Project would like to extend our deepest gratitude for the countless hours given to that effort by an incredibly talented group of engineers, producers, archivists, writers, and designers. We hope that everyone who’s had a chance to hold Liberation in Swing in their hands feels how much love went into making it. For those of you who have not, we hope you enjoy the abridged version of its stunning Symphony Hall Concert, available to stream anywhere you listen to music.

The greatest surprise of Erroll Garner’s centennial year was undoubtedly Adele’s “All Night Parking (with Erroll Garner) Interlude”. For a contemporary icon like her to choose Garner’s music as the first-ever sample used on one of her albums immediately cemented what so many of his fans already knew. Erroll Garner is a timeless musical genius whose work will continue to inspire listeners and artists for generations to come. We offer Adele our unwavering gratitude and wish her continued success. As we celebrate Garner at 101, “All Night Parking” has sat atop Spotify’s Global Jazz Singles chart for a record-breaking 29 weeks. It is our sincere hope that the millions of listeners hearing Garner’s piano for the first time find the same connection to it that so many others have over the last century.

As for the road ahead for Garner’s legacy, let us assure you that there is much more to come. Erroll Garner was one of the most prolific composers and recording artists of his day, and there are many more unheard recordings to explore. We appreciate the patience that his most ardent fans continue to show us. Erroll Garner was very particular about which of his recordings were released, and though we can only use our best judgment to imagine what he might have thought, we believe he would approve of the care that goes into each and every Octave release.

Thank you all for listening and growing his legacy. Happy Birthday, Mr. Garner.

Erroll Garner with his friend George Shearing

The Liberation In Swing: Centennial Collection boxed set