Billboard : 12/30/1957
Score of 79

Pianist Garland in a stimulating brace of performances with superb rhythmic support from Art Taylor, drums; and the surging Paul Chambers on bass. Tho there are traces of Nat Cole and Tatum in his work, Garland is well on the way to evolving a recognizable sound and style of his own. Could be sold to jazz and periphery clientele. Try C-Jam Blues and Will You Still Be Mine as demo tracks.

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Cash Box : 01/11/1958

Red Garland has been on the jazz scene for a long time, and his warmly expressive keyboard work showcases the fact. Round out the trio are two notables, Art Taylor on drums and Phil Chambers on bass. Waxing features the group rendering six strikingly beautiful readings include C-Jam Blues, Willow Weep For Me, and Will You Still Be Mine?. The boys offer some stirring sessions that will certainly enjoy a hearty sales welcome.

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High Fidelity
John S. Wilson : March, 1958

In a day of one-fingered pianists, Garland‘s strong, full-range, two-handed piano is particularly welcome. Here he plays six varied pieces with a warmth, consistency, and walloping rhythmic drive having much of the same broad appeal found in Erroll Garner‘s playing, although Garland resorts to none of the stylistic devices that Garner has developed. Unpretentious, straightforward, and strongly swinging work.

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San Francisco Examiner
C.H. Garrigues : 01/26/1958

One of the most cheering thoughts in a record world seemingly given over to the trivial and the meretricious springs from the steady (and apparently profitable) flow of solid jazz records from a few of the smaller companies which steadfastly refuse to compromise their good quality or good taste. Among these labels are Atlantic, Bethlehem, Blue Note, Debut and Prestige, which is perhaps the most dependable of the lot.

On Prestige’s first team are men like Donald Byrd, Idrees Suliman and Bill Hardman, trumpets; John Coltrane, Gene Ammons, Jackie McLean and Sahib Shihab, saxes; Mal Waldron, piano; Kenny Burrell, guitar; Paul Chambers, bass, and Art Taylor, drums. None of these men (unless it be Byrd and possibly Coltrane) is a champion and yet there is not a one who is not a runner-up. And, in addition, Prestige has a second team which includes Thad Jones and Webster Young, trumpets; Bobby Jaspar and Frank Wess, flutes and tenors; Paul Quinichette, tenor; Phil Woods and Gene Quill, altos, and Red Garland, piano.

All this is by way of introduction to a handful of new Prestige albums, most of which are worthy of extended individual review but which constitute enough of a picture to be considered as a group. Each exemplifies the modern, hard bop trend in jazz; together they show nearly best (but, I think, not THE best) in this type of jazz.

…

Finally comes Groovy, with Garland, Chambers and Taylor. I think this is as successful as the new popular piano-bass-drums combination can be – which is not high praise. It is interesting to compare this one, almost line for line, with one of the Manne and His Friends sets on Contemporary.

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Washington Post
Paul Sampson : 02/02/1958

Garland has developed into one of the few individual jazz pianists active today. He has a melodic conception that invests even his variations with melody, a variety of touches and dynamic shadings and a constantly forward-moving rhythmic pulse.

He is bright and bouncy on What Can I Say, Dear, moody, but not draggy on Willow Weep for Me and fleetly Tatumesque on Will You Still Be Mine. The accompaniment by Paul Chambers and Arthur Taylor is excellent. Highly recommended.

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Down Beat : 01/23/1958
Ralph J. Gleason : 5 stars

The three Red Garland LPs so far issued, and his work on the various other Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins albums, may very well establish Garland as one of the major influences on jazz piano playing.

In case that seems over-enthusiastic, I hasten to point out that now that Miles has made melody fashionable again, Garland is beginning to be listened to, and I have already found traces of his uniquely personal style here and there in piano solos this year.

Garland’s solo on Please Send Me Someone to Love, in his second Prestige LP, has already become a classic, and I firmly believe will go echoing down the ages, quote and requoted in other pianists’ solos like Avery Parrish‘s After Hours has been.

Garland has (in conjunction with Paul Chambers who plays Damon to his Pythias on all the Garland LPs) built up an unusual personal pulse rivalled only by Garner among piano players. Whatever Red does, particularly in the slow tempos in which he plays blues and ballads, rolls along with the rhythmic wave Basie describes. The propulsion on the listener is almost impossible to resist.

Over this uniquely compelling rhythm, Garland has constructed a blend of locked chord and single note solo line style that retains all the essential warmth of melody and remains inventive, while always having that great swinging feeling which is best described by the title of this LP, Groovy.

I am particularly impressed by Garland’s blues and slow ballad playing for its intrinsic melodic nature. On this LP he revives an old beauty from the days of Wini Brown and Lionel Hampton, Gone Again, as well as What Can I Say Dear?, which is, if memory serves, the only tune Eddie Condon ever did a vocal on.

More and more young pianists are listening to Garland. I hope they continue. He has brought back some long absent elements to jazz piano, made them acceptable to the ultra-modernists, and proved over again the sublime virtue of swing and a solid, deep, groove. I have found him utterly relaxing – somewhat as Garner is. I can play the Garland LPs over and over just as Miles and Dizzy and Basie can be played over and over. This is, really, the ultimate in compliments today when there are so many LPs, technically well done, that you just never get around to playing again.

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Liner Notes by Ira Gitler

Despite misuse by the unhip and abuse by the overhip, the colorful, highly descriptive jazz lexicon remains an effectively succinct means of expression in certain circles, when used with restraint.

Some words like “gone” have done just that whereas others of even older vintage such as “solid” (without the Jackson) and “groovy” have survived. I remember a conversation with a hipster friend of mine on the relative merits of various jazz adjectives and nouns. He said, shaking his head, “Gas and stone are fine words, man, but give me the old standbys like solid and groovy.”

Of course, there must be objects for these adjectives to be lavished on and feelings for them to describe. One appropriate instance is whenever Red Garland, in the company of Paul Chambers and Arthur Taylor, sits down at the Steinway in Rudy Van Gelder’s studio and makes the music that comprises trio albums for Prestige. Van Gelder feels that the word which best describes Red’s playing and the atmosphere it creates is groovy. On a simple, primary level, groovy means great but its connotations lean toward soul-warming, mellow and relaxed.

Red Garland has proven his ability to create warm, happy moods in A Garland Of Red (Prestige LP 7064) and Red Garland’s Piano (Prestige LP 7086). In Groovy, he reiterates all the basic tenets of his musical philosophy to the enlightenment and enjoyment of all concerned.

Red has once again chosen wisely and well in the selection of his material. This is the first appearance of Duke Ellington‘s C-Jam Blues in quite a while and Red makes it a welcome one. That real groovy/bluesy feeling is most evident on Willow Weep For Me and Gone Again. Red does for the latter what he did for Please Send Me Someone To Love in Red Garland’s Piano.

Will You Still Be Mine? is a remembering back to when Red recorded the tune in his first recording date with Miles Davis in The Musings of Miles (Prestige LP 7007).

Another aspect of the groovy feeling is well demonstrated on What Can I Say Dear? Paul, in a lengthy, bowed solo, and Arthur, in exchanges with Red, get a chance to work out in this one.

Hey Now, a riffy blues by Red closes the set.

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Red Garland : born in Dallas in 1923. Studied clarinet, then alto sax under Prof. Buster Smith. Became lightweight prize-fighter. Had 35 bouts before entering Army where he fought exhibition with Sugar Ray Robinson and also took up the piano. On his discharge in 1944 he joined Hot Lips Page. Later worked with Billy Eckstine‘s band and then as house pianist at Down Beat Club in Philadelphia through late forties. Divided his time between Coleman Hawkins and his own trios in early fifties. With Miles Davis from late 1955 through most of 1957. Favorite pianists are Art Tatum, Nat Cole and Bud Powell. Can be heard in albums mentioned above and also Cookin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige LP 7094).