Red Garland
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William "Red" Garland (May 13, 1923–April 23, 1984) was an American jazz pianist whose block-chord style, in part originated by Milt Buckner, influenced many forthcoming pianists in the jazz idiom.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Beginnings
Red was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1923. Though he came from a non-musical family, Garland showed an early interest in music. He began his musical studies on the clarinet and alto saxophone but in 1940 switched to the piano. Garland spent copious amounts of time practicing and rapidly developed into a proficient player. A short early career as a welterweight boxer did not seem to hurt his playing hands. He fought a young Sugar Ray Robinson before making the switch to a full-time musician.
[edit] Early work
After the Second World War, Garland performed with Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, and Lester Young. He found steady work in the cities of New York and Philadelphia. His creativity and playing ability continued to improve, though he was still somewhat obscure.
[edit] Miles Davis Quintet
Garland became famous when he joined the now classic Miles Davis Quintet in 1955, featuring John Coltrane, Philly Joe Jones and Paul Chambers. Together the group recorded their famous Prestige albums, "Workin'," "Steamin'," "Cookin'," and "Relaxin'." Garland's "cocktail piano" 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. However, Garland was not considered a "cocktail pianist," in that he has a unique and creative approach to the piano. ("Cocktail" piano playing has a negative connotation for jazz piano players because it implies that a style isn't original. Ahmad Jamal likewise was mislabeled a cocktail pianist at one point in his career, but critics were later corrected by the jazz musicians who worked with him). The quintet's recordings would arguably influence the Free jazz movement more than some of the more jazz avant-garde records of the time. Garland played on the first of Miles's many Columbia recordings, "Round About Midnight." 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 gigs. He was eventually fired by Miles, but later returned to play on another jazz classic, "Milestones." It is reported that he walked out of one of the sessions for Milestones, meaning that on the track "Sid's Ahead" the group was without a formal pianist - however, Davis took comping behind the saxophone solos into his own hands when not playing the trumpet himself.
[edit] Post-Quintet
In 1958 Garland formed his own trio. Among the musicians the trio recorded with are Pepper Adams, Nat Adderley (Cannonball Adderley's brother), Ray Barretto, Kenny Burrell, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Jimmy Heath, Harold Land, Philly Joe Jones, Blue Mitchell, Ira Sullivan, and Leroy Vinnegar. The trio also recorded as a quintet with John Coltrane and Donald Byrd.
Red Garland eventually returned to Texas in the 1970s. He led a recording in 1977 named Crossings which reunited him with Philly Joe Jones again, and he teamed up with world-class bassist Ron Carter. He continued recording until his death from a heart attack in 1984. His block-chord style, relaxed feel, and classic jazz recordings remain as his lasting legacy.
[edit] References
- Nisenson, Eric (1996). Round About Midnight - A Portrait of Miles, updated edition. Da Capo Press ISBN 0-306-80684-3
- Simpson, Joel (1996). "Red Garland Biography (1923–1984)".
