Pianist Red Garland (1923-84) had two contrasting ways with a melody: tripping along lightly, one note at a time, or crunching it out in great seven-note chords. He exploited the contrast very effectively during his four years with Miles Davis in the mid-1950s, and he was still doing so in 1977 when this live two-CD recording was made. With him are former Miles Davis drummer Philly Joe Jones and bassist Leroy Vinnegar. Together they generate the kind of up-through-your-boots swing that seems to be a lost art now. It’s a vintage performance, only slightly marred by the over-recorded bass.
