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Red Garland

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

William McKinley Garland, known as Red Garland, was an American jazz pianist, born on 13 May 1923 in Dallas and died on 23 April 1984. He began on clarinet and alto saxophone and learned piano in the army, where he was also an amateur boxer and even faced Sugar Ray Robinson. After his military service he went on teaching himself with exercise books by Czerny and Hanon and took Count Basie as his model. In 1946 he stayed on in New York and played, among others, for Billy Eckstine.

Music and breakthrough

His breakthrough came in 1955, when he joined the quintet of Miles Davis, with John Coltrane, Philly Joe Jones and Paul Chambers. Together they made the Prestige albums Workin', Steamin', Cookin' and Relaxin', and Garland played on 'Round About Midnight from 1957 and on Milestones. His block-chord style can be heard clearly on those records. Miles had asked him to bring something of Ahmad Jamal's lightness into his playing. Some listeners called him a cocktail pianist; Davis himself was satisfied.

Influence

Afterwards he led groups of his own and recorded many albums, such as Red Garland's Piano in 1957, Red in Blues-Ville in 1959 and Soul Burnin' in 1964. He helped make block-chord playing popular in jazz piano. His playing sounds relaxed and swinging, with chords that lie like a carpet beneath the soloist.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Cookin' or Relaxin' by the Miles Davis Quintet and notice what the pianist does while Miles and Coltrane solo. Do you hear how Garland fills the space with loose chords?

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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See also

Categories: Artists