In 1959, Erroll Garner was in the middle of a personal storm. The previous year, his label, Columbia, released earlier Garner recordings without his approval. Martha Glaser, his manager, hit the roof and said the label had breached Garner’s contract by releasing inferior recordings without his permission. She had Garner stop recording for Columbia. Disputes over the contract and a demand for higher fees for her client led to a lawsuit in 1960 by Glaser and a countersuit by Columbia. The dispute wouldn't be resolved until 1962, with Glaser controlling Columbia’s release of Garner’s recordings. Garner also started his own label with Glaser—Octave Records—for all future recordings. [Photo above of Erroll Garner performing, c.1959; by Ted Williams, Erroll Garner Archive courtesy of Mack Ave.]
I've always thought Garner's move was rash and ultimately an artistic mistake. We'll never know, of course, if Columbia's recordings of Garner in the 1960s and '70s would have been as exquisite as his 1950s output. It's doubtful, given the upheaval in jazz recording during those years as the money shifted to rock. One can imagine Garner being forced to record increasingly light and trite fare. What I do know is that much of Garner's material on Octave wound up being poorly produced and many albums were ill-conceived. Glaser might have done better for Garner and lovers of Garner's piano playing had she found a way to handle the Columbia contract violation with Garner's future in mind. Truth be told, Garner was a far better live player than a studio artist, as his concert albums show. There are plenty of them, since he had to boost his touring schedule after departing from Columbia. [Photo above of Erroll Garner, c.1960s; by Vernon Smith, Erroll Garner Archive, courtesy of Mack Ave.]
But what his manager's legal actions did for Garner was give him the freedom to record what he wanted and how he wanted to do it. Which may have been more important for Garner than anything else. But sometimes creative freedom results in albums that seemed like a good idea but weren't and don't sell very well. Not all artists are the best judges of what the public will buy, and not all producers are the best judges of what's art and what's junk. Producer Mitch Miller at Columbia is a perfect case in point. The best albums by any artist have been somewhere in the middle, where a great producer has a say and the artist has a say and they listen to each other and appreciate each other's judgment and taste.
Garner's live recordings, however, are almost always sterling, no matter when they were recorded. He loved making an audience happy and delighted in playing complex and mysterious introductions as everyone in the audience as well as his bassist and drummer tried to figure out what song he was about to play. Now add the recently discovered concert at Boston's Symphony Hall produced by the late George Wein on January 17, 1959 to the list of great Garner performances. Earlier this year, the 22 songs recorded that night turned up on the Garner box set, Liberation in Swing: The Octave Records Story & Complete Symphony Hall Concert (Mack Ave.).
Now 9 of the 22 previously unreleased concert tracks have been pulled from the set and released as stand-alone vinyl and CD releases. For the full concert tracks, you'll still have to buy the box. Backed by bassist Eddie Calhoun and drummer Kelly Martin, Garner on the box swings through Dancing in the Dark, My Funny Valentine, But Not for Me, The Nearness of You, Foggy Day, Gypsy in My Soul, I Didn't Know What Time It Was, Lover, Last Word, The Song From Moulin Rouge, I Can't Get started, Back Bay Stride, Gospel Mambo, Shell Game, My Fair Lady Medley, Frenesi, Dreamy, I Get a Kick Out of You, Misty, Indiana and Moment's Delight. [Photo above of Erroll Garner, c.1960s; photographer unknown, Erroll Garner Archive, courtesy of Mack Ave.]
All have the freewheeling sound of Garner's signature piano style and they swing beautifully, only more free, since he recently had been liberated from Columbia and seemed to be as happy as a lark. There's a lot to be said for happiness.
JazzWax note: For a good article on Erroll Garner's legal battle with Columbia, go here.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find all of the different formats for Erroll Garner's Liberation in Swing: The Octave Records Story & Complete Symphony Hall Concert here (Mack Ave.).
JazzWax clips: Here's Misty...
And here's A Foggy Day...
