[SYN-029]
Elegant yet raffish, intellectual yet earthy, marked by both complex emotional depth and an almost childlike sense of humor, Erroll Garner's piano style was inimitable (not that lots of other musicians didn't try). Though he's highly regarded as a composer, it's his piano playing that made him a 20th-century jazz legend. And the most distinctive element of that playing, its wink-and-a-chuckle whimsy, makes the title of this compilation, The Elf, an obvious choice. "Stardust," "I Surrender, Dear," "Undecided" and "Stompin' at the Savoy" date from a 1945 session. The remainder of the album was recorded in 1949. Garner's style is already perfectly in place; listen to the trademark way he tugs the melody off the beat on "I'm Confessin' (that I Love You)" and "All of Me." As much as this rhythmic displacement foreshadows the bop innovations of Thelonious Monk, it also has a charm all its own. Call it elfin. — Mac Randall