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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

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 jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

, 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 and education

William "Red" Garland was born in 1923 in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

. He began his musical studies on the

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

and

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...

, having studied with saxophonist Buster "Prof" Smith, who had been an early mentor of alto saxophonist

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

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

. He joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

in 1941 and was stationed in Fort Huachuca,

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. While there, Garland began to learn the piano with Army pianists John Lewis (not to be confused with

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

of the

Modern Jazz Quartet The Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) was a jazz combo established in 1952 that played music influenced by classical music, classical, cool jazz, blues and bebop. The Quartet consisted of John Lewis (pianist), John Lewis (piano), Milt Jackson (vibraphon ...

) and Lee Barnes. At this time, he was also an

amateur boxer An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History ...

, having fought

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 regarde ...

but losing the match. After being discharged from the military in 1944, Garland played locally around Texas until 1946 when he joined the

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

player Hot Lips Page's band, playing with him until a tour ended in New York in March 1946. Garland decided to stay in New York and soon found work there and also in Philadelphia. While in New York, Garland was recommended to singer

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously a ...

, who hired him for several weeks.

Musical career

1955–1958: the first great Miles Davis Quintet

Garland found success in 1955 when he joined the Miles Davis Quintet, 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 Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...

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

, and

Paul Chambers Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers Jr. (April 22, 1935 – January 4, 1969) was an American jazz double bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, he has become one of the most widely-known jazz bassists of the hard bop er ...

. 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 may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films *Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband *The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...

albums, '' Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet'' (1956), '' 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 Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones; July 2, 1930 – April 16, 2023) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator. For six decades, he was one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz. He was a NEA Jazz Ma ...

'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 ''Round About Midnight'' is a studio album by the jazz trumpeter and composer Miles Davis with his quintet. It was released through Columbia Records in March 1957, and is Davis's first record on the label. The recording took place at Columbia's ...

'' (1957). Their relationship was already beginning to deteriorate, but he continued playing with Miles. 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''; on the track "Sid's Ahead", Davis comped behind the saxophone solos in his absence.

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, Nat Adderley, 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 Records, Prestige, Blue Note, Verve Records, Verve, CTI Records, CTI, Muse Records, Muse, and Concord Records, Conco ...

, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis,

Jimmy Heath James Edward Heath (October 25, 1926 – January 19, 2020), nicknamed Little Bird, was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. He was the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath. Biography Heath w ...

, Harold Land,

, Blue Mitchell,

Ira Sullivan Ira Sullivan (May 1, 1931 – September 21, 2020) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, flautist, saxophonist, and composer born in Washington, D.C., United States. An active musician since the 1950s, he often worked with Red Rodney ...

, and Leroy Vinnegar. The trio also recorded as a quintet with

and

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few h ...

. Altogether, Garland released 25 albums on

Prestige Records Prestige Records is a jazz record company and label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock in New York City which issued recordings in the mainstream, bop, and cool jazz idioms. The company recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz music ...

and its subsidiary Moodsville, which were recorded between 1956 and 1962. He also recorded several albums for the Riverside Records subsidiary Jazzland in the early 1960s. In the mid-to-late 1960s, Garland's career suffered when rock music caused a substantial drop in the popularity of jazz, and his record sales plunged. During this period, he returned to his Dallas, Texas to care for his mother. After her death in 1968, he left music for a number of years. Garland resumed his recording career in 1971 with two albums for the German MPS Records label, and later in the decade recorded for Galaxy Records, Muse Records, Xanadu Records, and other jazz labels. In 1977, his ''Crossings'' album reunited him with Philly Joe Jones, with whom he also played club performances that same year. Garland continued recording until his death from a heart attack on April 23, 1984, at the age of 60.

Discography

As leader

Compilations * '' Rediscovered Masters'' (Prestige, 1977) – rec. 1958–61 * ''At the Prelude, Vol. 1'' (Prestige, 1994) – rec. 1959. compilation of ''Red Garland at the Prelude'' + ''Red Garland Live!''. * ''Blues in the Night'' (Prestige, 1997) – rec. 1960. compilation of ''Halleloo-Y'-All'' + ''Soul Burnin. * ''Red's Blues'' (Prestige, 1998) – rec. 1956–62. * ''Stretching Out'' (Prestige, 2002) – rec. 1959. 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 Arnett Cleophus Cobb (August 10, 1918 – March 24, 1989)
accessed July 2010. was an American tenor saxophonist, somet ...

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

*'' Tenor Conclave'' 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 ...

(Prestige, 1957) *'' John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio'' (Prestige, 1957) – reissued as ''Traneing In'' *'' Soultrane'' (Prestige, 1958) *'' Lush Life'' (Prestige, 1961) *'' Settin' The Pace'' (Prestige, 1961) *'' Standard Coltrane'' (Prestige, 1962) *'' The Believer'' (Prestige, 1964) *'' The Last Trane'' (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'' (Prestige, 1956) * '' Steamin' with The Miles Davis Quintet'' (Prestige, 1956) * ''

'' (Columbia, 1957) * '' Milestones'' (Columbia, 1958) With others *

Curtis Fuller Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings. Early life Fuller was born in Detroit on December 15, 193 ...

, '' Curtis Fuller with Red Garland'' (Prestige, 1963) – rec. 1957 *

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first ...

, '' Coleman Hawkins with the Red Garland Trio'' (Swingville, 1959) *

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

, '' McLean's Scene'' (Prestige, 1959) – rec. 1956–57 *

, ''Charlie Parker at Storyville'' (Blue Note, 1953) *

Art Pepper Arthur Edward Pepper Jr. (September 1, 1925 – June 15, 1982) was an American jazz musician, most known as an alto saxophonist. He occasionally performed and recorded on tenor saxophone, clarinet (his first instrument) and bass clarinet. Active ...

, '' Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section'' (Contemporary, 1957) *

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American retired jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded over sixt ...

, '' Tenor Madness'' (Prestige, 1956) * Phil Woods, '' Sugan'' (Status/Prestige, 1965) – rec. 1957

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 jazz 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 African-American pianists 20th-century American male musicians Jazz musicians from Texas