1. William "Red" Garland was born in 1923 in Dallas, Texas.
14 Facts About Red Garland
1. 2.
Red Garland began his musical studies on the clarinet and alto saxophone, having studied with saxophonist Buster "Prof" Smith, who had been an early mentor of alto saxophonist Charlie Parker in Kansas City.
3.
Red Garland joined the United States Army in 1941 and was stationed in Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
4.
Red Garland decided to stay in New York and soon found work there and in Philadelphia.
5.
Red Garland found success in 1955 when he joined the Miles Davis Quintet, featuring John Coltrane, Philly Joe Jones, and Paul Chambers.
6.
Davis was a fan of boxing and was impressed that Red Garland had boxed earlier in his life.
7.
Red Garland played on the first of Davis's many Columbia recordings, 'Round About Midnight.
8.
Red Garland was eventually fired by Miles but later returned to play on another jazz classic, Milestones.
9.
Davis was displeased when Red Garland quoted Davis's much earlier, and by then famous, solo from "Now's The Time" in block chords during the slower take of "Straight, No Chaser".
10.
Red Garland walked out of one of the sessions for Milestones; on the track "Sid's Ahead", Davis comped behind the saxophone solos in his absence.
11.
Altogether, Red Garland released 25 albums on Prestige Records and its subsidiary Moodsville, which were recorded between 1956 and 1962.
12.
Red Garland recorded several albums for the Riverside Records subsidiary Jazzland in the early 1960s.
13.
Red Garland resumed his recording career in 1971 with two albums for the German MPS Records label, and later in the decade recorded for Galaxy Records, Muse Records, Xanadu Records, and other jazz labels.
14.
Red Garland continued recording until his death from a heart attack on April 23,1984, at the age of 60.