Red Garland
Piano
About
Red Garland was a pianist and bandleader best known for his work with Miles Davis. Garland was a member of Davis' classic quintet along with John Coltrane, Philly Joe Jones, and Paul Chambers from 1955 to 1958. After leaving Davis, Garland led his own trio and also made several recordings as a quintet with John Coltrane and Donald Byrd. In the early 1960s, Garland became frustrated by the lack of opportunities for jazz players and returned to Texas where he performed locally while caring for his ailing mother. He released several albums in the 1970s before dying of a heart attack in 1984 at the age of 60.
Trivia
Red Garland had a brief career as a welterweight boxer in the 1940s. Red Garland's block chord style of piano playing was particularly influential. Garland's last performance was at Lush Life in New York City's Greenwich Village in 1983.
Early Life
Red Garland was born William Garland in Dallas, Texas in 1923. He grew up listening to big bands and as a child played the clarinet and later studied the alto saxophone in high school. Garland left school at 18 to join the army and while stationed in Arizona he began taking piano lessons from a fellow soldier. After leaving the army he joined trumpeter Hot Lips Page on tour and decided to settle in New York when the tour ended in 1946. Garland played in nightclubs backing musicians such as Charlie Parker, Billy Eckstine, and Coleman Hawkins before joining the Miles Davis' Quintet in 1955.
Red Garland Solos
1958
Piano solo - Lush Life - 1958
4/4 ballad in D♭ major at 55 BPM
Piano solo - Good Bait - 1958
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 129 BPM
Piano solo - I Want to Talk About You - 1958
4/4 ballad in E♭ major at 69 BPM
Piano solo - You Say You Care - 1958
4/4 swing in F major at 211 BPM
Piano solo - Theme for Ernie - 1958
4/4 ballad in A♭ major at 60 BPM
Piano solo - Russian Lullaby - 1958
4/4 swing in D minor at 368 BPM
1957
Piano solo - I Hear a Rhapsody - 1957
4/4 swing in E♭ major at 197 BPM
Piano solo - Bakai - 1957
4/4 swing in B♭ minor at 145 BPM
Piano solo - Time Was - 1957
4/4 swing in A♭ major at 196 BPM
1956
Piano solo - My Funny Valentine - 1956
4/4 ballad in C minor at 69 BPM
Piano solo - Blues by Five - 1956
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 176 BPM
Piano solo - Tune Up - 1956
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 319 BPM
Piano solo - When Lights Are Low - 1956
4/4 swing in F major at 122 BPM
Piano solo - If I Were A Bell - 1956
4/4 swing in F major at 183 BPM
Piano solo - I Could Write a Book - 1956
4/4 swing in E♭ major at 227 BPM
Piano solo - Oleo - 1956
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 264 BPM
Piano solo - It Could Happen To You - 1956
4/4 swing in E♭ major at 187 BPM
Piano solo - It Never Entered My Mind - 1956
4/4 ballad in A♭ major at 57 BPM
Piano solo - Four - 1956
4/4 swing in E♭ major at 200 BPM
Piano solo - Trane's Blues - 1956
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 163 BPM
Piano solo - Surrey with the Fringe on Top - 1956
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 124 BPM
Piano solo - Salt Peanuts - 1956
4/4 swing in F major at 350 BPM
Piano solo - Something I Dreamed Last Night - 1956
4/4 ballad in D minor at 58 BPM
Piano solo - Diane - 1956
4/4 swing in E♭ major at 136 BPM
Piano solo - Well, You Needn't - 1956
4/4 swing in F major at 235 BPM
Piano solo - When I Fall in Love - 1956
4/4 ballad in F major at 69 BPM
Piano solo - Tenor Madness - 1956
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 174 BPM
Piano solo - When Your Lover Has Gone - 1956
4/4 swing in E♭ major at 108 BPM
Piano solo - Paul's Pal - 1956
4/4 swing in G major at 155 BPM
Piano solo - My Reverie - 1956
4/4 swing in C major at 97 BPM
Piano solo - The Most Beautiful Girl in the World - 1956
4/4 swing in A♭ major at 233 BPM
Piano solo - Tenor Conclave - 1956
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 256 BPM
Piano solo - Just You, Just Me - 1956
4/4 swing in E♭ major at 243 BPM
Piano solo - Bob's Boys - 1956
4/4 swing in F major at 203 BPM
Piano solo - How Deep Is the Ocean? - 1956
4/4 ballad in E♭ major at 56 BPM