Erroll Garner: The Best Things in Life Are Free
Track
The Best Things in Life Are Free
Artist
Erroll Garner (piano)
CD
Closeup in Swing / A New Kind of Love (Telarc CD-83383)
Musicians:
Erroll Garner (piano),
Eddie Calhoun (bass), Kelly Martin (drums)
.Composed by Ray Henderson, B.G. DeSylva & Lew Brown
.Recorded: New York, July 7, 1961
Rating: 90/100 (learn more)
This composition premiered on September 6, 1927, as part of the Broadway show Good News. In 1961 Erroll Garner was in the middle of a contract dispute with several record labels; part of his solution for creative control was to found and record for his own label, Octave. Viewed in this light, recording this particular song during that session assumes an ironic subtext: at the heart of the dispute was the unauthorized release of several albums, for which Garner had to seek legal recourse in order to collect proper compensation. Despite these battles, Garner perseveres on this track, preserving the ebullient nonchalance of the original composition.
Reviewer: Mark Lomanno
Tags: 1960s jazz · piano trio
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