Erroll Garner

Born in 1921, he quite simply reinvented the piano, whose rules, incidentally, he never learned. He was a self-taught genius, and created a style for himself that was absolutely personal, biblically simple in theory, but as efficient as a pyramid : a left hand that hit a full chord on each beat, and a right hand that came in a fraction late to develop singing phrases that were a clear as daylight. His massive « swing », humor and rich harmonies conquered the public. He remained a great popular artist right up until his death in 1977. And he still is, through recordings that remain as fresh as the day he made them.