Pianist/Banleader Red Garland: "Soul Junction"

William "Red" Garland emerged as a member of the "first great quintet" of trumpeter, Miles Davis. Red's piano style is so distinctive with a light touch and beautifully executed two-handed block chords. His influences are Bud Powell and Erroll Garner that he combines into his unique style. He did two tenures with Davis and made a slew of trio albums, all solid stuff for Prestige Records. He took a break in the mid-60s and returned in the 70s and continued gigging and recording until his passing in 1984. Tonight's Jazz Feature involves a short lived quintet that Red Garland led in late 1957. John Coltrane was on tenor saxophone, Donald Byrd on trumpet, George Joyner (aka Jamil Nasser) on bass, Arthur Taylor on drums and Mr. Garland. One solid group and this album called "Soul Junction" was one of the best of the several albums this band recorded. From the slow blues title track to the final tune, "Hallellujah" the band sails through comfortable and familiar Jazz materiel in a hard swinging creative set. "Soul Junction" is a perfect album to check out after the excitement of the recent Jazz Festival 2019.