Groovy by Red Garland

Groovy

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Groovy

Features

Audio CD (July 1, 1991)

Number of Discs: 1

Label: Ojc

Amazon.com
When Red Garland was a member of Miles Davis's band in the late '50s, Davis would regularly depart the stage to feature Garland in a trio format. He was a complete jazz pianist, able to find ideal chordal extensions to prod a soloist, to swing aggressively with block chords, and to string together single note lines with buoyant energy and a bright articulation. He was capable of real delicacy, but his playing never descended to the decorative. His regular trio featured bassist Paul Chambers, his gifted partner from the Davis quintet, and drummer Art Taylor, a rock-solid timekeeper whose balance of subtlety and drive also made him Bud Powell's drummer of choice. Garland mated his harmonic sophistication to elements that communicated directly, his tunefulness, his rhythmic drive, and his vigorous roots in Texas and the Southwest blues traditions. They're evident everywhere here, from the medium-tempo swing of Ellington minimalist masterpiece "C-Jam Blues" to the deep, melancholic blues that infuse "Willow Weep for Me." Garland's Prestige recordings of the late '50s are models for the piano trio in modern jazz, and Groovy is among the best of them. --Stuart Broomer

Reader Reviews
After hearing Milestones by Miles Davis, and hearing track 05 Billy Boy, I hurried over to my nearest CD store to pick up Groovy. The ease and the buoyancy created by Red Garland on Billy Boy, one of my favorite standards, was just it. Having the name Groovy, one would think that this album is full of alot of songs played with the style he had on Billy Boy. Although C-Jam Blues, Hey Now and What Can I Say (After I Say I'm Sorry) are very similar to the style of Billy Boy the other half of the songs are ballads. Now don't get me wrong the ballads are beautiful, candy to the ears. But if I were you I would buy Garland of Red first. But if you already have Garland of Red I would strongly recommend picking this album up.

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