"Since Fats Waller, there has been no pianist whose name was so synonymous with exuberant joy as that of Erroll Garner. Garner is also comparable to Fats—and to Tatum—in his orchestral approach to the piano. He sovereignly commands the entire keyboard. Concert by the Sea is the title of one of his most successful records; the title is appropriate not only because this concert was recorded on the Pacific Coast, but also because Garner's piano cascades bring to mind the roar of the sea. The rhythmic independence that Garner achieved between the left and right hands was phenomenal. He was able to give each hand its own timing, and to bring these two rhythmic planes into an energetic relationship of tension. In addition to this, Garner was a master of fascinating relaxation. When he played, the listener sometimes felt that the beat had been delayed too long, but when it came, you knew it fell just where it belonged. Also masterful were Garner's introductions, which—often with cadenzas, often also with humorous intimations—seemed to delay the start of the theme and the beat further and further. Garner's worldwide audiences applauded enthusiastically when pianist and audience finally arrived "back home" again, in the well-known melody and the even better-known "Garner beat," with its even, "trotting" quarter-note chords in the left hand.
The familiar observation that the jazz pianist plays the instrument like a big band was particularly applicable to Garner, who never learned to read a note of music. He said, "I always play what I feel. I always feel like me, but I'm a different me every day. I get ideas from everything. A big color, the sound of water and wind, or a flash of something cool. Playing is like life. Either you feel it or you don't.""
- Gunther Huesmann, The Jazz Book, 7th Ed.
