William McKinley "Red" Garland Jr. (May 13, 1923 – April 23, 1984) was an American modern

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

pianist. Known for his work as a bandleader and during the 1950s with

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

, Garland helped popularize the

block chord A block chord is a chord or voicing built directly below the melody either on the strong beats or to create a four-part harmonized melody line in " locked-hands" rhythmic unison with the melody, as opposed to broken chords. This latter style, ...

style of playing in

jazz piano Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instru ...

Early life

William "Red" Garland was born in 1923 in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

. He began his musical studies on the clarinet and alto saxophone but, in 1941, switched to the piano. Less than five years later, Garland joined the trumpet player

Hot Lips Page Oran Thaddeus "Hot Lips" Page (January 27, 1908 – November 5, 1954) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader. He was known as a scorching soloist and powerful vocalist. Page was a member of Walter Page's Blue Devils, Artie Sha ...

, well-known in the southwest, playing with him until a tour ended in New York in March 1946. With Garland having decided to stay in New York to find work, Art Blakey came across Garland playing at a small club, only to return the next night with his boss, Billy Eckstine. Garland also had a short-lived career as a

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

boxer in the 1940s. He fought more than 35 fights, one being an exhibition bout with

Sugar Ray Robinson Walker Smith Jr. (May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989), better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. He is often regard ...

Later life and career

1955–1958: the first great Miles Davis Quintet

Garland became famous in 1954 when he joined the

Miles Davis Quintet The Miles Davis Quintet was an American jazz band from 1955 to early 1969 led by Miles Davis. The quintet underwent frequent personnel changes toward its metamorphosis into a different ensemble in 1969. Most references pertain to two distinct and ...

, featuring

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

Philly Joe Jones Joseph Rudolph "Philly Joe" Jones (July 15, 1923 – August 30, 1985) was an American jazz drummer. Biography Early career As a child, Jones appeared as a featured tap dancer on ''The Kiddie Show'' on the Philadelphia radio station WIP. He wa ...

, and Paul Chambers. Davis was a fan of boxing and was impressed that Garland had boxed earlier in his life. Together, the group recorded their famous

Prestige Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.) Prestige may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films * ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...

albums, '' Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet'' (1954), '' Workin'', '' Steamin''', '' Cookin''', and '' Relaxin'''. Garland's style is prominent in these seminal recordings—evident in his distinctive chord voicings, his sophisticated accompaniment, and his musical references to Ahmad Jamal's style. Some observers dismissed Garland as a "cocktail" pianist, but Miles was pleased with his style, having urged Garland to absorb some of Jamal's lightness of touch and harmonics within his own approach. Garland played on the first of Davis's many Columbia recordings, '' 'Round About Midnight'' (1957). Though he would continue playing with Miles, their relationship was beginning to deteriorate. By 1958, Garland and Jones had started to become more erratic in turning up for recordings and shows. He was eventually fired by Miles, but later returned to play on another jazz classic, '' Milestones''. Davis was displeased when Garland quoted Davis's much earlier, and by then famous, solo from "Now's The Time" in block chords during the slower take of "Straight, No Chaser". Garland walked out of one of the sessions for ''Milestones'', so that on the track "Sid's Ahead", Davis comped behind the saxophone solos.

1958–1984: Red Garland Trio and later life

In 1958, Garland formed his own trio. Among the musicians the trio recorded with are

Pepper Adams Park Frederick "Pepper" Adams III (October 8, 1930 – September 10, 1986) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist and composer. He composed 42 pieces, was the leader on eighteen albums spanning 28 years, and participated in 600 sessions as a s ...

Nat Adderley Nathaniel Carlyle Adderley (November 25, 1931 – January 2, 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was the younger brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, whom he supported and played with for many years. Adderley's composition ...

, Ray Barretto,

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Edward F. Davis (March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986), known professionally as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. It is unclear how he acquired the moniker "Lockjaw" (later shortened in "Jaws"): it is either said that ...

, Jimmy Heath, Harold Land,

Blue Mitchell Richard Allen "Blue" Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American trumpeter and composer who worked in jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and funk. He recorded albums as leader and sideman for Riverside, Mainstream Records, and ...

, Ira Sullivan, and

Leroy Vinnegar Leroy Vinnegar (July 13, 1928 – August 3, 1999) was an American jazz bassist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, the self-taught Vinnegar established his reputation in Los Angeles, California, during the 1950s and 1960s. His trade ...

. The trio also recorded as a quintet with

and Donald Byrd. Altogether, Garland led 19 recording sessions while at Prestige Records and 25 sessions for Fantasy Records. He stopped playing professionally for a number of years in the 1960s when the popularity of rock music coincided with a substantial drop in the popularity of jazz. Garland eventually returned to his native Texas in the 1970s to care for his aged mother. He led a recording in 1977, named ''Crossings'', which reunited him with Philly Joe Jones, and he teamed up with bassist Ron Carter. His later work tended to sound more modern and less polished than his better known recordings. He continued recording until his death from a heart attack on April 23, 1984, at the age of 60.

Partial discography

As leader

Compilations

* '' Rediscovered Masters'' (Prestige, 1958–61 977 * ''At the Prelude, Vol. 1'' (Prestige, 1959

994 Year 994 ( CMXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * September 15 – Battle of the Orontes: Fatimid forces, under Turkish gener ...

(compilation of ''Red Garland at the Prelude'' + ''Red Garland Live!'') * ''Blues in the Night'' (Prestige, 1960 997 (compilation of ''Halleloo-Y'-All'' + ''Soul Burnin' '') * ''Red's Blues'' (Prestige, 1956–62 998 * ''Stretching Out'' (Prestige, 1959 002 (compilation of ''Satin Doll'' + ''Lil' Darlin' '') * ''The Best of the Red Garland Quintets'' (Prestige, 2004) * ''The Best of the Red Garland Trios'' (Prestige, 2004)

As sideman

With Arnett Cobb *'' Sizzlin''' (Prestige, 1960) *'' Ballads by Cobb'' (Moodsville, 1960) With

*'' Tenor Conclave'' (Prestige, 1957) with

Al Cohn Al Cohn (November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988) was an American jazz saxophonist, arranger and composer. He came to prominence in the band of clarinetist Woody Herman and was known for his longtime musical partnership with fellow saxophonist ...

, Hank Mobley,

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

*'' John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio'' (Prestige, 1957; reissued as ''Traneing In'') *''

Soultrane ''Soultrane'' is the fourth studio album by jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1958 on Prestige Records, catalogue 7142. It was recorded at the studio of Rudy Van Gelder in Hackensack, New Jersey, three days after a Columbia Records se ...

'' (Prestige, 1958) *'' Lush Life'' (Prestige, 1961) *'' Settin' The Pace'' (Prestige, 1961) *'' Standard Coltrane'' (Prestige, 1962) *'' The Believer'' (Prestige, 1964) *''

The Last Trane ''The Last Trane'' is an album credited to jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1966 on Prestige Records, catalogue 7378. It was assembled from unissued material from three separate recording sessions at the studio of Rudy Van Gelder in H ...

'' (Prestige, 1965) With

* '' The Musings of Miles'' (Prestige, 1955) * '' Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet'' (Prestige, 1955) * '' Cookin' with The Miles Davis Quintet'' (Prestige, 1956) * '' Relaxin' with The Miles Davis Quintet'' (Prestige, 1956) * ''

Workin' with The Miles Davis Quintet ''Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet'' is a studio album by the Miles Davis quintet recorded in 1956 and released circa January 1960. Two sessions on May 11, 1956, and October 26 in the same year resulted in four albums—this one, '' Relaxin' ...

'' (Prestige, 1956) * '' Steamin' with The Miles Davis Quintet'' (Prestige, 1956) * '' 'Round About Midnight'' (Columbia, 1957) * '' Milestones'' (Columbia, 1958) With Curtis Fuller *'' Curtis Fuller with Red Garland'' (Prestige, 1957) With

Jackie McLean John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their deat ...

*'' McLean's Scene'' (Prestige, 1956) With

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

*''Charlie Parker at Storyville'' (Blue Note, 1953) With Art Pepper *'' Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section'' (Contemporary, 1957) With Sonny Rollins *'' Tenor Madness'' (Prestige, 1956) With

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...

*'' Sugan'' (Status/Prestige, 1957 965

References

External links

"Red's Bells," an in-depth analysis by Ethan IversonDiscography at jazzdisco.org
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garland, Red 1923 births 1984 deaths American jazz pianists American male pianists Musicians from Dallas Hard bop pianists Miles Davis Quintet members Xanadu Records artists Muse Records artists Prestige Records artists Timeless Records artists Galaxy Records artists 20th-century American pianists American male jazz musicians African-American pianists 20th-century American male musicians