Listening to Prestige 570: Red Garland

LISTEN TO ONE: My Honey's Lovin' Arms

 This is Red Garland's 39th album for Prestige, either as leader or sideman, and no, that's not too many. Garland always delivered, either as part of an ensemble, leader of a trio, or solo. He began as a member of the original Miles Davis quintet, and in 1956, on one of the Contractual Marathon sessions, Miles and John Coltrane sat out and let the trio play a number, as sort of an audition for Bob Weinstock. It worked: after Miles left for Columbia, Weinstock signed Garland, Paul Chambers and Art Taylor to continue to record for Prestige.

Garland returned to Prestige after making four albums for Riverside subsidiary Jazzland, for what would be not only his last Prestige session, but his last recording for the next decade. When the Beatles invaded America, he saw the handwriting on the wall for jazz, and went back to Texas to take care of his invalid mother. He would make a comeback in the 1970s, recording a number of albums -- some for Galaxy, a subsidiary of Fantasy, which by this time owned Prestige, and some for Muse, a label started by one-time Prestige executive Joe Fields.

Garland's albums were always distinguished by his eclectic choice of tunes, and this one was no exception, as here he gives us a cross section of familiar tunes that have hardly been touched by musicians from the progressive jazz fraternity. Too familiar? Too corny? Not the way Garland, Wendell Marshall and Charlie Persip play them.

He starts out with the Al Jolson standard "Sonny Boy," written by DeSylva, Brown and Henderson, giving the tune rather more subtlety and thoughtfulness than Jolson ever gave it.

"My Honey's Lovin' Arms," composed by Joseph Meyer, also dates back to the Jolson era. Originally recorded by Isham Jones in 1922, it's become a staple over the years, but a staple of traditional and Dixieland groups. I can't find a record of any other modern jazz artist recording it. Garland relishes the corny but catchy melody, hits that downbeat, and still turns it into something altogether different, with the powerful collaboration of Persip.

"St. James Infirmary" is the old familiar blues ballad, and it's been recorded by everyone from jazz musicians to blues singers to folkies to rock and rollers to country singers, and even a Latin band (Perez Prado). But again, Garland stands out as one of the rare -- and probably the first -- modern jazz musicians to give it a whirl. As with "My Honey's Lovin' Arms," he starts out in a traditional style, nudged on by Wendell Marshall, and then proceeds--with Marshall and Persip--to make something new.

"I Ain't Got Nobody" goes back even further, to 1915, composed by Spencer Williams. New Orleans born, New York bred, ultimately European expatriate. The song became a huge hit in 1956 when Louis Prima recorded it as part of a medley with "Just a Gigolo." Prima and Sam Butera put it on an album called The Wildest; Garland, Marshall and Persip make it just as wild, in their own way.

"Baby Won't You Please Come Home" is another Spencer Williams tune, and a hugely popular one over the years. This one has had at least one other modern jazz version--by Garland's old boss, Miles Davis. Davis's version is dark and moody. Garland's isn't quite an uptempo romp, but the comparison of the two really brings home how much Garland likes these old chestnuts, and how much he enjoys playing them and making something new out of them.

The traditional spiritual "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" (first published in 1867 but much older than that) rounded out the album. One more song -- and one more old chestnut -- was 1927's "My Blue Heaven," which did not make the LP, which was titled When There Are Grey Skies, but was included on a later CD re-release. "Sonny Boy" and "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home?" were two sides of a 45 RPM single. Ozzie Cadena produced.