Red Garland - Four Classic Albums (a Garland of Red / All Mornin' Long / Groovy / All Kinds of Weather) (Digitally Remastered) (2018)

How many jazz pianists can say that they went a few rounds with the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson? Well certainly our next artist can! Red Garland began his career as a boxer, fighting over 30 bouts including an exhibition match with the aforesaid legend! Calming things down a little, Red began his musical career on the alto sax and clarinet before moving to the piano. In the period directly after the Second World War, Red Garland appeared to be playing with just about everybody who was anybody in the jazz world including Billy Eckstine, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Charlie Parker and Lester Young. Actually the more we check out Red’s resume the more staggering it becomes when you start to consider that he hadn’t even met Miles and Trane yet!! And so the list continues as our hero gets to play in the bands of Miles Davis and John Coltrane alongside the likes of Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Pepper Adams, Nat Adderley, Kenny Burrell, Harold Land and Donald Byrd…and that’s just for starters! In fact it would possibly be quicker to find a great jazz player that Red Garland has not played with! On our four fine selections, three as Trio and one in Quintet line up, Red is accompanied by John Coltrane, Donald Byrd, Arthur Taylor, Paul Chambers and George Joyner.