Simple and soulful elegance from the great
Red Garland – prime mid-50s material for Prestige, recorded here with incredible backing from Paul Chambers and Art Taylor! The tightness of the trio is amazing – but never so much so that it gets in the way of
Red's warmly introspective modes on the keys – a sound that's never overindulgent, nor as flowery as some of his mainstream contemporaries – and which really paves the way towards a rhythmic sensitivity that influenced generations of later players on the instrument. The tracks are a bit shorter than on some later
Garland dates, but that shortness only further illustrates the sublime economy of the group. Titles include "What Is This Thing Called Love", "September In The Rain", "Constellation", "My Romance", "Blue
Red", "A Foggy Day", and "Makin Whoopee".
(Japanese pressing, with obi – SMJ 6579. A great copy!)