Thankfully, someone has been rummaging through the archives of legendary pianist Erroll Garner. Two years ago, Mack Avenue released the swinging Ready Take One, and now we get a wonderful concert from the apotheosis of Garner and his trio of Eddie Calhoun/b with Kelly Martin/dr with a November 1964 concert recording from the Concertgebouw. This album swings better than the more famous Concert By The Sea, is better recorded with wonderful fidelity and is filled with more sparks than a 61 Corvette.
The liner notes claim that the trio never rehearsed. This borders on the incredulous as the trio seams like a relay team during the exotic interplay between Martin and Garner during “On Green Dolphin Street” or on the pulsating “What Is This Thing Called Love?”. Garner’s patented baroque intros are all here, and they sound glorious, and just how does the rest of the band know when to come in on “When Your Lover Has Gone” or “Easy To Love”? Besides standards, Garner does some hip bluesy improvisations as he plays with tones and dynamics on the modern sounding “That Amsterdam Swing,” showing the world he was, after all, on the scene with Charlie Parker back at the birth of bebop. The sheer joy and optimism evoked here is like a refreshing balm in this era of cacophonic introspection.
There’s a lot of competition this year for Historical Album of the Year, but this has to be considered a first tier candidate. One word: MORE!