Mistagging of Erroll Garner Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA in 1921, Erroll began playing piano at the age of 3. He played locally in the shadow of his older pianist brother Linton Garner and moved to New York in 1944. He briefly worked with the bassist Slam Stewart, and though not a bebop musician per se, in 1947 played with Charlie Parker on the famous Cool Blues session. Garner's ear and technique owed as much to practice as to a natural gift.