This CD reunites all the trio studio recordings made by Red Garland in 1956, featuring Paul Chambers and Art Taylor. It comprises the complete album "A Garland of Red" (tracks 1-7, recorded in Hackensack, New Jersey, August 17, 1956, for the Prestige label) plus the integral December 14 session of 4 tracks, which originally appeared on the following two albums: "Groovy" and "Red Garland's Piano" (tracks 9-12, recorded in New York, December 14, 1956, also for the Prestige label), plus a single trio tune ("Ahmad's Blues") recorded during Miles Davis' final marathon sessions for Prestige on May 11, 1956, New York, with Philly Joe Jones on drums.
Tracklisting:
01. A Foggy Day
02. My Romance
03. What Is This Thing Called Love?
04. Makin' Whoopee
05. September in the Rain
06. Little Girl Blue
07. Blue Red
08. Constellation
09. Willow, Weep for Me
10. If I Were a Bell
11. I Know Why
12. What Can I Say?
13. Ahmad's Blues
Total time: 77:35 min.
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Review:
"This compilation, drawn from recordings originally released in the U.S. by Prestige Records, is in essence the Red Garland album A Garland of Red with bonus tracks. After the nine tracks making up that LP, most of them show music and Tin Pan Alley covers recorded in August 1956, the compilers add four tracks by the same performers, Garland and his rhythm section of Paul Chambers (bass) and Art Taylor (drums), from a December 1956 session, two of which originally appeared on the LP Groovy and two on Red Garland's Piano.
The CD concludes with "Ahmad's Blues," actually recorded under the rubric of the Miles Davis Quintet for that group's album Workin' in May 1956, even though only Garland, Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones are present on the track. The pianist is assured throughout, and Chambers gets generous space, notably playing some extended arco solos, making this an outstanding collection of 1950s piano trio jazz."
William Ruhlmann -All Music guide
