A 12-part podcast series hosted by acclaimed author and historian Robin D.G. Kelley, exploring the music and legacy of pianist Erroll Garner. Each episode is grounded in one of Garner's albums and features a conversation between Dr. Kelley and a different musician. Our guests include some of today's most important voices in jazz, as Uncovered attempts to answer one central question: Who is Erroll Garner to you?
Listen to the latest episode below.
A 12-part podcast series hosted by acclaimed author Robin D.G. Kelley, exploring the music and legacy of pianist Erroll Garner. Each episode is grounded in one of Garner's albums and features a conversation between Robin and a different musician.
Host Robin D.G. Kelley and pianist Eric Reed discuss Erroll Garner’s album Dreamstreet. Recorded in December of 1959 and released in March of 1961 as the first product of Garner’s newly formed Octave Records, Dreamstreet is also the first album of the recently released Octave Remastered Series. Hear what makes this album so important and explore what Erroll Garner’s music has meant to Eric Reed’s own music journey.
On this episode of Uncovered, pianist Chick Corea rediscovers the music of Erroll Garner. He joins Host Robin D.G. Kelley for a dive into Garner’s second Octave-era album, Closeup In Swing and performs a beautiful improvisation inspired by Garner.
Closeup In Swing was recorded over several sessions during the summer of 1961, the album has recently been remastered and expanded to include a previously unheard Garner original, “Octave 103”.
Jason Moran joins host Robin D.G. Kelley for a journey through Garner’s One World Concert album. From his early days studying with Jaki Byard at the Manhattan School of Music, to his work on Geri Allen’s tribute to Concert By The Sea, there are few artists in the world with a better understanding of Garner’s unique artistry. On this special episode, Moran lays out a path for future Garner scholars to follow and steps behind the piano to unravel the complex harmony in one of Garner’s previously unreleased introductions.
Terri Lyne Carrington and host Robin D.G. Kelley step inside Erroll Garner’s underrated opus, A New Kind of Love. Carrington is the only drummer to appear on the Uncovered podcast, and she brings her own nuanced perspective on Garner’s unique rhythmic approach. She and Dr. Kelley unpack the gendered complexities of the film A New Kind of Love, Garner’s process of arranging for orchestra, and the role their friend Geri Allen played in preserving Garner’s legacy. This album represents Garner’s only orchestral film scoring. Recorded separately, and in addition to the film score itself, Garner improvises alongside a roaring 35-piece orchestra.
Vijay Iyer joins Robin D.G. Kelley for a journey into Garner’s 1965 trio album A Night At The Movies. Their conversation not only deconstructs that music, but it explores the deep connections between Vijay Iyer’s own work as a musician and scholar, and the foundational elements of Garner’s unique and undeniable artistry. A Night At The Movies is Garner’s love letter to the films of his youth, and contains some of the finest studio recordings of his longest running trio with drummer Kelly Martin and bassist Eddie Calhoun.
Host Robin D.G. Kelley spins tracks from Campus Concert and pianist/composer Helen Sung steps behind the keys to demonstrate Garner’s iconic style. They explore Helen's journey to jazz, Erroll’s history with the “mambo” sound, and discuss what it means to truly understand the language of music.
Guitarist and composer Miles Okazaki joins Dr. Kelley for a journey though Garner’s album That’s My Kick. They examine Garner as the musical “trickster” of myth, and Okazaki demonstrates what made Garner’s legendary left hand rhythms such an important aspect of his artistry.
Dr. Kelley is joined for a true listening party by Christian McBride and Christian Sands. The trio gets deep into Garner’s GRAMMY nominated 1968 record featuring a horn section and some of Garner’s most dazzling performances.
Nicole Mitchell is an award-winning flutist, composer, bandleader, and now the chair of Jazz Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. On this Episode, she and Dr. Kelley examine Garner’s GRAMMY nominated 1970 album, and discuss his pioneering contributions to music and culture.
Three-time GRAMMY® Award winning singer and multi-disciplinary artist Cécile McLorin Salvant joins Dr. Kelley to listen to Garner’s 1972 album Gemini. They explore Salvant’s deep relationship to Garner’s song Misty and her own path to becoming a multi-disciplinary artist. Salvant shares her insights into Garner’s visual art practice and talks about her essay on the topic for his centennial boxed set, Liberation In Swing.
