Red Garland at the Prelude

[B. Goren.]

Next month Concord will release a double CD with the complete recording of Red Garland at the Prelude.

This recording was originally released by Prestige. Any recommendation???

[jazzbo]

I know this from the Japanese version. Very nice performances. (Not sure all of it had been originally released. . . .Much of it is available on two earlier OJC cds).

If you like Garland, then there's lots to like here.

[B. Goren.]

Thanks Lon.

[Bill B]

Thanks Lon.

[GA Russell]

I plan to get a copy.

A few weeks later Concord/Fantasy will release the complete Miles with Coltrane on three CDs, so that's going to be a lot of Red Garland within a short timeframe.

[Dmitry]

An indispensable set for piano trio fans, imo. I have the Japanese 3-cd set in Digital k2 remastering.

Pure bliss 2 hours long.

[jazzbo]

Agreed. I think this release will be the same mastering, on two cds.

[makpjazz57]

I'm guessing from the enthusiastic responses of those who have this that the sound quality is very good?

Where was The Prelude located?

Marla

[jazzbo]

It was a NYC club.

Yes, I consider the sound quality quite good.

[ghost of miles]

It was a NYC club.

Yes, I consider the sound quality quite good.

Wonderful set! I think the Prelude was a midtown joint, but I'm not sure.

[B. Goren.]

I pre-ordered.

[GA Russell]

This is due out on Valentine's Day.

I see that CD Universe says: List price $19.98. Their price $16.89. Pre-order price $13.99.

I received this press release email not long ago:

On October 2, 1959, pianist RED GARLAND and his all-Philly trio--bassist Jimmy Rowser and drummer Charles "Specs" Wright--held forth at a Harlem nightery called the Prelude. They delivered three swinging sets, which were captured for Prestige by engineer Rudy Van Gelder (and producer Esmond Edwards) in the label's first location recording. Due for release 2/14 is a two-CD package--"At the Prelude"--that presents the full results of the trio's work that night.

The Prelude material--about two and a quarter hours of music--was originally issued by Prestige in somewhat scattered fashion, spread over four albums that appeared between the '60s and early '80s. Its first "complete" treatment had to wait until 2003, when a three-disc box including four previously unissued tracks came out in Japan. This new set contains all the music heard in the Japanese version, plus new notes by writer Joe Goldberg.

"At the Prelude" is prime Garland.

edit for typo

Edited February 3, 2006 by GA Russell

[Z-Man]

I'm very much looking forward to this release. Concord has hit upon a great concept with these reissues, IMHO. Even though a lot of the stuff in this "series" has beeen reissued to death (Bill Evans Vanguard, Miles 1st Quintet), it's nice to see it released stateside with the K2 remastering and in performance order.

I would love to see this treatment applied to the Eric Dolphy Five Spot material and the Jaki Byard Lennie's stuff.....

[DMP]

And the Davis/Griffin material from Minton's.

[Brad]

I have the Japanese 3 CD set and it's great. Really swinging in the groove Red.

[GA Russell]

My copy arrived in the mail the other day.

This is a boatload of good music for the price of one CD. It sounds fine to my ears, but I don't see any reference to K2 mastering, as was suggested above.

The liner notes say that The Prelude was a Harlem nightclub.

The first CD has all eight songs of the first set and the first three of the second set, totalling 72 minutes. The second CD has the remaining four songs of the second set and all seven songs of the third set, totalling 66 minutes. Garland wrote two numbers, both blues. All the others are standards, either jazz standards or Great American Songbook standards.

When I get a multi-CD set, I usually like to focus on one CD at a time. That is, I listen to one for six months or so, and then listen to the next. In this case, I think I will burn three CDs, one for each set. That will make it like the Japanese issue. I'll focus on the first set for the next few months.

When I first got into jazz, my first two LPs were piano trios by Ramsey Lewis and Ray Bryant. This set is better than those, but it sort of carries me back to that time.

I wouldn't say that this is indespensible or anything like that. It's just good music. This will make a nice change of pace after listening to a few 60s Blue Notes in a row. Also good for listening in the car, I expect.

[Free For All]

Anyone know how Charles "Specs" Wright got his nickname? Just wondering.

[Larry Kart]

Can't say for sure in Wright's case, but doesn't virtually everyone known as "Specs" wear eyeglasses?

[Free For All]

That's what I would assume, but I didn't want to "spec"-ulate.

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

They were putting sale price cards on the 'Prelude' set at the local Tower yesterday, so it might be worth a quick drop by for those that don't yet have this.

[Larry Kart]

I like Garland, so this is tempting, but can anyone tell me about how those multiple versions (e.g. I think three "One O'Clock Jump"s) of tunes work out. I ask because Garland could be a bit formulaic, and I'm afraid that a good deal of each of those tracks would be recycled material.

[Larry Kart]

Finally bought this one and am enjoying it a lot. Some of the most utterly relaxed, slyly inventive Garland I know, and Specs Wright's brushwork (backing and in solo exchanges) is so fine -- sounds like a great tap dancer. In Doug Ramsey's liner notes to the 1977 Garland double LP "Rediscovered Masters" (Prestige) -- which includes three fine studio tracks with Doug Watkins and Wright (Jimmy Rowser is in for Watkins on "At the Prelude" -- Garland says, "Specs had the most phenomenal hands of any drummer I've ever seen."