Erroll Garner: Misty

A few weeks ago, Kevin and I drove up to Damariscotta to pick up an old 1960's stereo console we found on Craigslist. This weekend, we got the turntable working and I've been having a blast playing through old records. That familiar hiss and pop is like a time machine: instant childhood nostalgia!

The first record I pulled out was by Erroll Garner, one of the musicians who helped jazz music cross over from bars and clubs into concert halls in the 1940s and 50s. It always amazes me to remember that he was self-taught and never learned to read music. In fact, I once read a story about how a Pittsburgh musicians guild refused his membership for years because he couldn't read notation.

Here's what is widely regarded to be his most famous tune: Misty by Erroll Garner