The first time I ever listened to Erroll Garner play, I suddenly had the thought that either the burrito I'd had for lunch was making funny noises in my belly, or there was someone in the room with me. The reason? I was playing a new CD I'd brought home, and mixed in with the piano virtuosity were a number of very strange sounds.

If you know anything about Erroll Garner, you've probably guessed by now that the reason I was startled the first time I listened to him was because of his peculiar habit of grunting and muttering to himself as he plays. Of course, he wasn't the first - or last - musician to talk as he played, but his distinctive sounds combined with his equally special playing style helped make his music instantly identifiable to fans.

The CD I listened to that day was one of those Verve Compact Jazz Sampler albums, and Errol's song was "Misty", a tune he also wrote. It became a classic and was one of his many hits during a career that spanned several decades, a career that was especially remarkable for someone who couldn't read music.

Growing up in Pittsburgh during the pre-war years, he began playing the piano at the age of two or three, probably because his older brother played. Erroll was too young to read music in the beginning, and by the time he was old enough to even think about it he was already so good that he figured he didn't need it. He lived for the piano, and his talent was such that even while still very young he began appearing on the radio and elsewhere.

As he reached adulthood he began playing in a lot of jazz clubs, where his distinctive style soon drew attention. He'd developed it over his years of playing, and it was something that intrigued jazz musicians at that time. It's been described in various ways, but at its heart is the way he used his left hand to pound the rhythm - some compare it to strumming a guitar - while playing chords and melodies with his right, often slightly behind the beat.