Pianist Red Garland’s place in the jazz pantheon is secure through his work with Miles Davis’ First Great Quintet (1955-58). His shimmering tone and sophisticated voicings contributed to the distinct sound of that group’s seminal recordings. In the next seven years he recorded over 40 albums, but abruptly left the New York scene in 1965, returning to his native Texas. Fortunately, in 1971 MPS brought Garland back to the Big Apple for a two-record date.

Auf Wiedersehen is in trio with the perfect complementary rhythm section: jazz greats Sam Jones on bass and drummer Roy Brooks. It starts off with Hobo Joe,a rocking, swinging Joe Henderson blues. The title piece is an original, a romantic ballad that has Garland saying a pianistic “goodbye” with a nod to Nat King Cole. A Night in Tunesia shows off an original interpretation of the Dizzy Gillespie classic, lending the melody a new Latin tinge before jumping into hard-swinging solos – after all, with Red, it’s about swing! Old Stinky Butt is a slow, down-home blues, good for a late night with the lights down low. Garland’s plays with the emotions by utilizing great dynamics and Jones shows how the blues should sound on the bass. All told, 6 pieces of consummate Garland.