Red Garland

Red Garland
Garland at Keystone 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(s)	Musician
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1940s–1984
Labels	Prestige
Associated acts	Miles Davis

William "Red" Garland (May 13, 1923 – April 23, 1984) was an American modern jazz pianist. Known for his work as a bandleader and during the 1950s with Miles Davis, Garland helped popularize the block chord style of piano playing.

William "Red" Garland was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1923. His mother played several instruments. He began his musical studies on the clarinet and alto saxophone but, in 1940, switched to the piano. Garland spent copious amounts of time practicing and rapidly developed into a proficient player. A short early career as a welterweight boxer did not seem to hurt his playing hands. He fought a young Sugar Ray Robinson before becoming a full-time musician.

After the Second World War, Garland performed with Billy Eckstine, Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, and Lester Young. He found steady work in the cities of Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia. In the late 1940s, he toured with Eddie Vinson at the same time that John Coltrane was in Vinson's band. His creativity and playing ability continued to improve, though he was still somewhat obscure. By the time he became a pianist for Miles Davis, he was influenced by Ahmad Jamal and Charlie Parker's pianist Walter Bishop.

Garland became famous in 1954 when he joined the Miles Davis Quintet, featuring John Coltrane, Philly Joe Jones, and Paul Chambers. Davis was a fan of boxing and was impressed that Garland had boxed earlier in his life. Together, the group recorded their famous Prestige albums, Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet (1954), Workin, Steamin', Cookin', and Relaxin'. Garland's style is prominent in these seminal recordings—evident in his distinctive chord voicings, his sophisticated accompaniment, and his musical references to Ahmad Jamal's style. Some observers dismissed Garland as a "cocktail" pianist, 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.