The Erroll Garner Estate
The Complete Concert by the Sea: 60th Anniversary Reissue
GRAMMY Award-Nominated, NAACP Image Award-Winning, Jazz Journalists Recording of the Year
Partners: Sony Legacy, Vinyl Me Please, Monterey Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz Festival
Creative Concept, Strategy, Archival Research, Album, Website and Live Event Production
“I had the pleasure of working with Jocelyn on Erroll Garners The Complete Concert By The Sea 60th anniversary re-issue album. Jocelyn was a pure joy to work with, her commitment to excellence was evidenced on a consistent basis throughout the entire process. Her passion, dedication, kindness, and professionalism are second to none. I’m happy to have had the opportunity to work with her.”
-Henry Towns, Director of A&R Sony Music Entertainment
The Ask
When renowned jazz artist Erroll Garner’s most famous album (and one of the best selling jazz albums of all time) “Concert by the Sea” celebrated its 60th Anniversary, the Erroll Garner estate sought to release the full unabridged concert in its entirety for the first time. While Garner is largely considered one of the most influential jazz pianists in history, his multimedia archives required a cohesive strategy to create a pathway for access and storytelling to benefit his legacy and the future of jazz scholarship.
Our Deliverables
In partnership with the Erroll Garner Jazz Project, Sony Legacy, the Magic Shop Studio, and the late renowned jazz pianist Geri Allen, we extensively researched Garner’s story, developed, and co-produced “The Complete Concert by the Sea” - a GRAMMY and NAACP Image Award-nominated 3-CD box set and vinyl album reissue. The album includes key finds uncovered and curated in our story search including:
Newly discovered audio interviews with the musicians following the concert and newly shot cover photography by renowned photographer Michelle Magdalena Maddox
An educational website and digital database for researchers
A booklet of never-before-seen images from the concert, with selections featured in the New York Times
Newly penned liner notes by jazz scholars Dan Morgenstern and Robin E. Kelley.
A video trailer produced with Sony Legacy at the famed Magic Shop Studio (Norah Jones, Cyndi Lauper)
A social media campaign developed in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh
Live events at the Monterey Jazz Festival and New Orleans Jazz Festival featuring MacArthur winning jazz artist Geri Allen
Our Reimagining
At the limited-engagement jazz festival performances, guests experienced a rare tribute to Garner’s virtuoso playing style through Geri Allen’s elaborate performances with two additional pianists, showcasing Garner’s truly extraordinary compositions to a modern day audience. Our work also resulted in the donation of the full Erroll Garner multimedia archives to the University of Pittsburgh, an educational website, and digital database now available to researchers. The content we organized and made accessible has since been used in an exhibition and additional musical releases.
