Red Garland
Garland atKeystone Korner jazz club,San Francisco, California, May 1978
Background information
Birth name	William McKinley Garland, Jr.
Born	(1923-05-13)May 13, 1923 Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Died	April 23, 1984(1984-04-23) (aged 60) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Jazz,straight-ahead jazz,bebop,hard bop
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Piano
Years active	1940s–1984
Labels	Prestige
Formerly of	Miles Davis

William McKinley "Red"Garland Jr. (May 13, 1923 – April 23, 1984)^[1] was an American modernjazz pianist. Known for his work as a bandleader and during the 1950s withMiles Davis, Garland helped popularize theblock chord style of playing injazz piano.^[2][3]

William "Red" Garland was born in 1923 inDallas, Texas. He began his musical studies on theclarinet andalto saxophone, having studied with saxophonist Buster "Prof" Smith, who had been an early mentor of alto saxophonistCharlie Parker inKansas City.

He joined theUnited States Army in 1941 and was stationed inFort Huachuca,Arizona. While there, Garland began to learn the piano with Army pianists John Lewis (not to be confused withJohn Lewis of theModern Jazz Quartet) and Lee Barnes. At this time, he was also anamateur boxer, having foughtSugar Ray Robinson but losing the match.

After beingdischarged from the military in 1944, Garland played locally around Texas until 1946 when he joined thetrumpet playerHot Lips Page's band, playing with him until a tour ended inNew 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 singerBilly Eckstine, who hired him for several weeks.^[4][5][6][7]

Garland found success in 1955 when he joined theMiles Davis Quintet, featuringJohn Coltrane,Philly Joe Jones, andPaul Chambers. Davis was a fan of boxing and was impressed that Garland had boxed earlier in his life. Together, the group recorded their famousPrestige albums,Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet (1956),Workin,Steamin',Cookin', andRelaxin'. Garland's style is prominent in these seminal recordings—evident in his distinctive chord voicings, his sophisticated accompaniment, and his musical references toAhmad Jamal's style. Some observers dismissed Garland as a "cocktail" pianist,^[8] 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.^[9]

Garland played on the first of Davis's many Columbia recordings,'Round About Midnight (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 forMilestones; on the track "Sid's Ahead", Davis comped behind the saxophone solos in his absence.^{[citation needed]}

In 1958, Garland formed his own trio. Among the musicians the trio recorded with arePepper Adams,Nat Adderley,Ray Barretto,Kenny Burrell,Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis,Jimmy Heath,Harold Land,Philly Joe Jones,Blue Mitchell,Ira Sullivan, andLeroy Vinnegar. The trio also recorded as a quintet withJohn Coltrane andDonald Byrd.^[10]Altogether, Garland released 25 albums onPrestige Records and its subsidiary Moodsville, which were recorded between 1956 and 1962. He also recorded several albums for theRiverside 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.^[11][12]

Garland resumed his recording career in 1971 with two albums for the GermanMPS Records label, and later in the decade recorded forGalaxy Records,Muse Records,Xanadu Records, and other jazz labels. In 1977, hisCrossings 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.^[13]

Compilations

• Rediscovered Masters (Prestige, 1977) – rec. 1958–61
• At the Prelude, Vol. 1 (Prestige, 1994) – rec. 1959. compilation ofRed Garland at the Prelude +Red Garland Live!.
• Blues in the Night (Prestige, 1997) – rec. 1960. compilation ofHalleloo-Y'-All +Soul Burnin'.
• Red's Blues (Prestige, 1998) – rec. 1956–62.
• Stretching Out (Prestige, 2002) – rec. 1959. compilation ofSatin Doll +Lil' Darlin'.
• The Best of the Red Garland Quintets (Prestige, 2004)
• The Best of the Red Garland Trios (Prestige, 2004)

• "Red's Bells," an in-depth analysis by Ethan Iverson
• Discography at jazzdisco.org
• Red Garland atIMDb

• 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

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