Red Garland
Piano Solo on
Blues by Five

About

Red Garland's piano solo is the third of four solos on this recording, following John Coltrane on tenor sax. Spanning five choruses of the 12-bar Blues form in B♭ at a brisk 176 BPM with a swing feel, Garland contributes five piano choruses in his distinctive block chord style, and Paul Chambers rounds out the solos with five arco and pizzicato bass choruses. Garland's extended piano improvisation builds gradually through the choruses, developing melodic ideas with increasing complexity and rhythmic intensity.

Red Garland was 32 to 33 years old at the time.