Red Garland

Piano · born 13 May 1923 – died 23 April 1984

▸ Click for Richard Cook Bio

Garland took some time to escape obscurity, even though he'd played with many leading jazz musicians: he was in the Billy Eckstine big band for a few weeks, worked at the Down Beat Club in Philadelphia for two years, and then backed Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young during the early 50s. But it was his time with Miles Davis, in the trumpeter's quintets of the later 50s, which sealed his eminence. By this time he had filtered together Count Basie, Bud Powell and Ahmad Jamal into a style which sounded light, bluesy, skittishly discordant, and – above all – tinkling in the right-hand register, an effect which Davis particularly enjoyed. Red ran up a large number of albums for Prestige and its various subsidiaries, mostly in the trio context, and though they inevitably tend to sound the same, his playing has its own kind of intensity: on a 1962 date which would be his last for nearly ten years, he played a notably poignant Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen. The steam went out of his career, and he eventually returned home to Dallas, although there was a comeback of sorts from 1977. For the best of Red, though, the Davis records are hard to beat.

Biography from Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia (2005).

If you'd like more information, check out The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2002) or The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz (2007), both of which are still in print.

As leader

  • Red Garland Trio – A Garland of RedRed Garland Trio – A Garland of Red
  • Red Garland Trio – Red Garland’s PianoRed Garland Trio – Red Garland’s Piano
  • Red Garland – GroovyRed Garland – Groovy
  • Red Garland Quintet – All Mornin’ LongRed Garland Quintet – All Mornin’ Long
  • Red Garland Trio – MantecaRed Garland Trio – Manteca

Plays on

  • Miles Davis – The Musings of MilesMiles Davis – The Musings of Miles
  • Miles Davis Quintet – MilesMiles Davis Quintet – Miles
  • Sonny Rollins Quartet – Tenor MadnessSonny Rollins Quartet – Tenor Madness
  • Miles Davis – ‘Round About MidnightMiles Davis – ‘Round About Midnight
  • Art Pepper – Meets the Rhythm SectionArt Pepper – Meets the Rhythm Section
  • Hank Mobley / Al Cohn / John Coltrane / Zoot Sims – Tenor ConclaveHank Mobley / Al Cohn / John Coltrane / Zoot Sims – Tenor Conclave
  • Miles Davis Quintet – Cookin’Miles Davis Quintet – Cookin’
  • John Coltrane – ColtraneJohn Coltrane – Coltrane
  • Art Taylor – Taylor’s WailersArt Taylor – Taylor’s Wailers
  • Miles Davis – MilestonesMiles Davis – Milestones
  • John Coltrane – Traneing InJohn Coltrane – Traneing In
  • Miles Davis Quintet – Relaxin’Miles Davis Quintet – Relaxin’
  • John Coltrane – SoultraneJohn Coltrane – Soultrane
  • Miles Davis – And The Modern Jazz GiantsMiles Davis – And The Modern Jazz Giants

Mentioned in text

  • Miles Davis – Blue MoodsMiles Davis – Blue Moods
  • Freddie Redd / Hamp Hawes – Piano East / Piano WestFreddie Redd / Hamp Hawes – Piano East / Piano West
  • Hank Mobley Quintet – Mobley’s 2nd MessageHank Mobley Quintet – Mobley’s 2nd Message
  • Miles Davis – Bags GrooveMiles Davis – Bags Groove
  • Gene Ammons – Jammin’ In Hi FiGene Ammons – Jammin’ In Hi Fi
  • Mal Waldron – Mal/2Mal Waldron – Mal/2
  • Idrees Sulieman / Webster Young / John Coltrane / Bobby Jaspar – Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 TenorsIdrees Sulieman / Webster Young / John Coltrane / Bobby Jaspar – Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors
  • Phil Woods / Gene Quill / Sahib Shihab / Hal Stein – Four AltosPhil Woods / Gene Quill / Sahib Shihab / Hal Stein – Four Altos
  • Prestige All-Stars – After HoursPrestige All-Stars – After Hours
  • John Coltrane – Blue TrainJohn Coltrane – Blue Train
  • Lee Morgan – The CookerLee Morgan – The Cooker
  • Sonny Clark – Cool Struttin’Sonny Clark – Cool Struttin’
  • Lou Donaldson – Lou Takes OffLou Donaldson – Lou Takes Off
  • Cannonball Adderley – Somethin’ ElseCannonball Adderley – Somethin’ Else
  • Phil Woods – Warm WoodsPhil Woods – Warm Woods
  • Frank Wess – Wheelin’ & Dealin’Frank Wess – Wheelin’ & Dealin’
  • Gene Ammons – The Big SoundGene Ammons – The Big Sound
  • Hal McKusick – Triple ExposureHal McKusick – Triple Exposure
  • Dorothy Ashby – Hip HarpDorothy Ashby – Hip Harp
  • Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis – CookbookEddie “Lockjaw” Davis – Cookbook
  • Shirley Scott – Great Scott!Shirley Scott – Great Scott!
  • The 3 Sounds – The 3 SoundsThe 3 Sounds – The 3 Sounds
  • Lou Donaldson with The Three Sounds – LD+3Lou Donaldson with The Three Sounds – LD+3
  • The Three Sounds – Bottoms UpThe Three Sounds – Bottoms Up
  • Miles Davis – Kind of BlueMiles Davis – Kind of Blue
  • Gene Ammons – Blue GeneGene Ammons – Blue Gene
  • Wynton Kelly – Kelly BlueWynton Kelly – Kelly Blue
  • Cannonball Adderley Quintet – In San FranciscoCannonball Adderley Quintet – In San Francisco
  • Donald Byrd – FuegoDonald Byrd – Fuego
  • Horace Parlan – Movin’ & Groovin’Horace Parlan – Movin’ & Groovin’
  • Dizzy Reece – Soundin’ OffDizzy Reece – Soundin’ Off
  • John Coltrane – Giant StepsJohn Coltrane – Giant Steps
  • John Coltrane – Coltrane JazzJohn Coltrane – Coltrane Jazz
  • Horace Parlan – Us ThreeHorace Parlan – Us Three
  • John Coltrane – Coltrane Plays the BluesJohn Coltrane – Coltrane Plays the Blues
  • Milt Jackson Quartet – StatementsMilt Jackson Quartet – Statements
  • Jimmy Heath – Picture of HeathJimmy Heath – Picture of Heath
  • Dexter Gordon – Homecoming: Live at the Village VanguardDexter Gordon – Homecoming: Live at the Village Vanguard