Modern jazz pianist William McKinley Garland, Jr. – born May 13, 1923 in Dallas,
Texas – was better known by his nickname Red Garland. The bebop and hard-bop
musician was one of the pioneers in the block chord style of piano playing.
Originally studying the clarinet and saxophone, Garland switched to piano in
1941. Within five years, he was touring with trumpeter Hot Lips Page and ended
up in New York in 1946, where he stayed to find work. His career picked up steam
when he joined the Miles Davis Quintet in 1954. The line-up of the ensemble also
included John Coltrane, Paul Chamb...