--------------- Matthew Garrison is an American jazz bassist. Matthew Garrison was born June 2, 1970 in New York. Here he spent the first eight years of his life immersed in a community of musicians, dancers, visual artists and poets. After the death of his father Jimmy Garrison (John Coltrane’s bassist), his family relocated to Rome, Italy where he began to study piano and bass guitar. In 1988 Matthew returned to the United States and lived with his godfather Jack Dejohnette for two years. Here he studied intensively with both Dejohnette and bassist Dave Holland. In 1998 Matthew founded GarrisonJazz Productions through which he currently Produces, Promotes and Markets his music. The latest projects are “SHAPESHIFTER” and “MATT GARRISON LIVE”. Three new projects are slated for a 2008 release. --------------- Matt Garrison “This release represents a modern-day passing of the torch. Compelling that Garrison's father played acoustic bass on what are indisputably jazz's greatest recordings - now comes Matthew demonstrating nothing less than he's the world's greatest electric bass guitarist” --------------- MATT GARRISON: NO LIMITS, NO FEAR Source: http://pritchardschool.com/jazzrock/interviews-matt.html --------------- Matt Garrison Interview Source: http://pritchardschool.com/jazzrock/interviews-matt.html --------------- Matthew Garrison Signature Matthew Garrison was born June 2, 1970 in New York. Here he spent the first eight years of his life immersed in a community of musicians, dancers, visual artists and poets. After the death of his father Jimmy Garrison (John Coltrane’s bassist), his family relocated to Rome, Italy where he began to study piano and bass guitar. --------------- Discography Pat Metheny – Stone Free (1993
Matt's Bio
Matthew Garrison was born June 2, 1970 in New York. Here he spent the first eight years of his life immersed in a community of musicians, dancers, visual artists and poets. After the death of his father Jimmy Garrison (John Coltrane's bassist), his family relocated to Rome, Italy where he began to study piano and bass guitar. In 1988 Matthew returned to the United States and lived with his godfather Jack Dejohnette for two years. Here he studied intensively with both Dejohnette and bassist Dave Holland. In 1989 Matthew received a full scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. Here he began his professional career with the likes of Gary Burton, Bob Moses, Betty Carter, Mike Gibbs and Lyle Mays to mention a few. Matthew moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1994 and has performed and recorded with artists such as Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Joni Mitchell, Steve Coleman, Pat Metheny, John Mclaughlin, The Gil Evans Orchestra, John Scofield, Chaka Khan and many others.
Garrison has worked with artists such as Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Chaka Khan, Joe Zawinul, the Saturday Night Live Band, John Scofield, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell. He is the son of Jimmy Garrison, John Coltrane's bass player, and he is noted for playing his signature series Fodera bass.
Garrison also recognized for having created and developed a pizzicato technique which uses four fingers. He founded his own recording label and production company in 2000 called GarrisonJazz Productions, through which he has released two CDs and a live performance DVD.
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Shapeshifter
GarrisonJazz Productions
2004
In Y2K, Bass Player Magazine pronounced Matthew Garrison's debut as having "raised the bar" for electric bass players (in an article by Chris Jisi, who recently wrote the book on modern electric bass). What next, then? Fitting in this Olympic year, Garrison steps back from the bar, raises it a foot, challenges himself to make it over and succeeds on every level, turning in the greatest solo record by an electric bassist in the post-Jaco era.
Not merely a great electric bass player, he actually plays the instrument at the margins of human capability. Having captured the imaginations of the world's electric bass players and enthusiasts, he's set his sights on the ears and minds of the global audience for adventurous music. Importantly, he does so without taking virtuoso technique and mind-boggling facility off the table. Compositionally, he's retained the far eastern Indian flavor of his debut, while adding a brave new dose of electronica to the mix. There's a new emphasis on consistently changing up the tone and texture of the bass, in both ensemble and solo functions. The numbers of supporting cast and their roles have been narrowed, with Garrison taking on more of the burden of soundscape creation via computer-aided studio expertise. Finally, he's perfected the art of creating hook-laden melodic snippets, and placing them in various spots in the mix relative to countermelodies, counter-rhythms and counter-bass lines, none of which function counter to any other components.
For example, "Symbiosis," opens the set with a melodic fragment of eastern origin, sung by Sabina Sciubba , meeting percussively strummed acoustic guitar (also by Garrison), before being supplanted by slamming, power-chord style, distorted bass, in an ascending four-part progression of three notes each. A melody line reemerges, this time sung by the bass, chiming, sitar-like, with notes in the high register. A deep bass synth break recontextualizes the opening, vocal melody, as new synth pads offset the complementary descending bass line. Unison guitar and bass then voice a different, equally hummable melodic fragment over a loping folk-fretless line. This sets up a distorted, backward-looped bass solo, gorgeously steeped in expressive psychedelia. As the backward effect is removed, Garrison's trademarked shards, pieces of chords drawn from the scale-of-the-moment's harmony, replace it, followed by effortless linear melodicism, building to a phenomenal ripping sequence of his own device, recalling Jimi more than Jaco.
"Three Tree" is a duet with Arto Tuncboyacian on percussion. Any bassist who throws down this fluidly and virtuosically in the company of a sole percussionist is bound to get comparison to "Donna Lee," Jaco's celebrated throwing of the gauntlet with Don Alias. This one's a bossa improv of epic proportion. It's all there, the gorgeous chord voicings, the harmonic outline, the flat-out speed and impossible articulation of the right hand, the matching up of the left with the complete knowledge and instantaneous availability of the jazz vocabulary. But this is not an instrumentalist playing some famous standard at a breakneck pace. It's a relaxed performance, a spontaneous improvisation that right away imparts the feeling that Garrison could toss off any number of takes on this vibe, each of them as great as the last, yet different - what jazz, and virtuosity, are all about.
"Life Burning" combines the love for all things Indian with all things Squarepusher-drill'n'bass meets drilling bass for some Punjabi takeout. Note the Indian Massive-that's the real , Indian, massive bass sound punctuated by some kind of Hindu chanting - or is that cheerleading? Slamming it all against a very straight snare and hi-hat beat somehow propels it to the energy quotient to the next level, as do the wordless vocals by Tuncboyacian. The electronica sequence returns before another monster solo blows it all up, crossing up "Flight of the Bumblebee" pyrotechnics with ragaisms aided by pull-offs and trills, stopping for a hit of funky blues. The linear excursions that follow are decidedly not of the bop vocabulary; rare is the player on any instrument that draws lines so clearly from harmonic point to point that sit so well on their axe of choice.
"I Can See You Now" slams enormous rock riffing up against Gnawan trance, with ankle-bracelet bells evoking Krishnas brandishing Strats. Big air moves under fretless skies, propelled forward by a Pastourian pump never executed so cleanly. Then screams, samples of massive human call 
and response added by Scott Kinsey , accelerate us into his scintillating Rhodes solo, which somehow injects a dose of funk into this electro-world groove. Note that Kinsey, perhaps in compensation for his inhuman chops quotient, has now established himself as an innovator for incorporating the human element, in the form of sampled vocals—pitched, unpitched, sung, spoken or screamed—into his custom-programmed sonic voice.
"Mirror Image" and "Changing Paths," both completely performed by Garrison, have a more epic, world flavor. The "Mirror" reflects West Africa or Algiers perhaps, a crossover incorporating incantations on high, with Matt on vocals. Like many cutting-edge instrumentalists, Garrison reveals he's a surprisingly gifted vocalist as well. No solos here, just pure melody and atmospherics combined in heartrending ways. "Changing Paths" shows the influence of Sting or Peter Gabriel in terms of mystically elegant soundscape, a somber frame drum march setting up haunting harmony, this one features his eerie, highly proficient steel-string guitar to supplement his tear-drenched bass sweep, supplemented by a distant scat vocal. More experiments in this direction, please.
"Exchange" builds fiercely in electronic fashion but soon adds beauty in the form of Icelandic vocalizing by Veronika Garrison over two-note chords voicing the melody on bass. A passage then ensues full of wondrous digitized glossolalia, a combination of backward bass triggering Veronika's sampled vocal, creating the effect of a sci-fi enchantress enticing explorers toward her embrace, abetted by some kind of otherworldly sound-producing device. As Kinsey enters the fray the song delves into the realm of Josef Zawinul, employing the familiar accordion and harmonica-like sounds, an ethnic, folk-like wordless vocal and a bouncy, rubbery bass line. Kinsey has seriously studied Zawinul's improvisational and compositional styles, as well as the finer elements of his sound architecture, and Garrison is a former employee, so this section is all you can imagine. The bass solo begins gently, drenched in linear lyricism, with a touch of distortion, interrupted by electronic stutters and stops. A simple backbeat is employed to support complexity as the digital stuttering effect continues, punctuating and puncturing the solo, a multitude of ideas and techniques colliding to create an ultra-modern, yet very musical spot. This type of diginoise effect is usually applied to breakbeats or other sections in the work of noted digital auteurs, but this sets the precedent for seamless incorporation into an instrumental solo, which helps makes "Exchange" another compositional and soloing tour-de-force.
"Turn Around," concludes with layer upon layer: Garrison's bass, Jim Beard 's synth, and Adam Rogers ' banjo and cavaquino, until a melody line is doubled on top by the vocals of Matt's singer-sister Joy and the harmonica of Gregoire Maret. Two minutes in, this shimmering cloud rains a liquid bass solo, a "rewind moment " that in 45 seconds, simply transcends the work of the generation of bassists that made Garrison possible-not only in the harmonic sense, standing as a mini-composition, but in that it exudes electrifying emotion, molten with the passion and joy radiating from its architect. Rogers, with clean electric tone and Beard, employing synth-sustained squeezebox, follow with equally prodigiously executed spots bursting with poignant content-rare does this muscular an instrumental display, by all the players, convey such ecstatic exhilaration.
This release represents a modern-day passing of the torch. Compelling that Garrison's father played acoustic bass on what are indisputably jazz's greatest recordings - now comes Matthew demonstrating nothing less than he's the world's greatest electric bass guitarist (reality check: if there are other guys capable of playing this stuff so absolutely freakishly, none are demonstrating it on recordings). The funny thing is, this is way not the intent here.
Sure, Garrison's debut, in spots, was attempting to show all he could do, but now it's all about the composition, the composite, the trip and the vibe. The fact that he's taken the record label out of the equation has surely aided him in feeling his way into his style in the most comfortable, organic way. Simply put, letting go has allowed him to craft one for the ages. It's a benchmark for the type of electronica that is separate from trend-jumping jazztronica hybrids and for music incorporating world influences that is separate from the "world music" bin. Most importantly, it should be held up as a shining example for the type of electric jazz-fusion of musics and styles that is separate from the technocratic, chops-driven excesses and exercises of "fusion" 's past. 
Recently, vocal jazz has been perceived to have returned to favor with artists like Norah and Jamie, the piano trio reworked by the Bad Plus and EST and the avant-garde invigorated by the talent stable locked in the Blue Series' electronica laboratory. But in terms of marketability, resonance and relevance, electric jazz remains at a crisis point—in need of a shot in the arm—a reinvention triggering a comeback of sorts. With a release of this magnitude, it's alluring to poetically posit that Garrison, a scion of jazz's fabled past, yet an outsider in the current state of the jazz business, should be the one fated to spearhead that transformation.
An up-to-the-moment interview can be found here .
Tracks: 1) Symbiosis, 2) Unity, 3) I Told Ya So, 4) Three Tree, 5) I Can See You Now, 6) ZZAJ 5.1, 7) Life Burning, 8) Mirror Image, 9) Exchange, 10) Changing Paths, 11)Turn Around
Personnel: Sabina Sciubba:vocals (1,2,3), Gregoire Maret:harmonica (1,2,11), Arto Tuncboyacian:percussion (1,2,4,7, 9), vocals (7), Jim Beard: keyboards (1,2,11), Jojo Mayer: drums (2,7), Elliot Mason: bass trumpet (5), Scott Kinsey: keyboards (5,9), Will Calhoun: Wusuli (5), Veronika Garrison: vocals (7,9), noise (5), Joy Garrison: vocals (11), Adam Rogers, guitar (11), Warren Brown:mixing, mastering, sound design (all), John Arnold: drums (11), Matthew Garrison: bass (all), programming (1-3, 5-11), guitar (1,3,10), keyboards (2,3,7,9,11), vocals (5,9,10,11)
By John Pritchard
I first heard Matt Garrison's amazing bass playing on Joe Zawinul's "My People" in 1996 and John McLaughlin's "The Heart of Things" in 1997. Tracing back Matt's roots to his legendary dad, the late Jimmy Garrison (bassist with John Coltrane), it is cool to see a son not only carrying the jazz bass torch of his father, but also blazing new musical trails with incredible five string chordal bass music of his own!!! Check out the video clips on the left to see what I mean.
In 1998 Matt took the bull by the horns and founded GarrisonJazz Productionsto record, produce and market his music. In 2001, his self titled solo debut CD "Matthew Garrison" received critical acclaim immediately and featured guitarists David Gilmore and Adam Rogers, keyboardist Scott Kinsey, drummers Gene Lake and Ben Perowsky, percussionist Arto Tuncboyacian, saxaphonist Dave Binney, along with Pete Rende on accordion and Amit Chaterjeeon on sitar. Many of the tracks are featured on Matt's Live DVD with much of the same lineup with additional talent such as Jim Beard on keyboards, JoJo Mayer on drums, and singer Sabina Sciubba.
In 2002, Matt toured with Herbie Hancock on the "Future 2 Future" tour and can be seen jammin on the "Future 2 Future" DVD Herbie produced from a gig at the Knitting Factory in LA.
In March of 2003, Matt began his most adventurous album, "Shapeshifter," which was released simultaneously with his Live DVD this past August 2004. The album features guitarist Adam Rogers, keyboardists Jim Beard and Scott Kinsey, vocalists Sabina Sciubba, Joy Garrison and Veronika Garrison, drummer JoJo Mayer, percussionist Arto Tuncboyacian, Elliot Mason on Bass Trumpet, Gregoire Maret on harmonica, and a special appearance by Will Calhoun on Wusuli.
What I love about this album is the fact that Matt has no fear of mixing in electronic programming with more familiar composition styles in the world fusion, instrumental, vein. He is so much more than "one of the world's best bass players." The 10th tune, "Changing Paths" blew me away and features Matt playing all the tracks with some phenomenal acoustic guitar to boot! While all the music showcases superb musicianship throughout, it is Matt's tasty computer-driven morsels that surprise and engage my curious ear (check out "I Told Ya So" and "Mirror Image" mp3's below). Matt is simply not afraid to explore the boundaries he 'shapeshifts' into with the wide range of musicians he plays with, and the original music he composes and performs. 
As yet further proof of his fearlessness, the 9th song, "Exchange," (an unquestionable "Bjork" tribute song) is an absolute delight in that it features his wife Veronica's magical singing. It is produced with a perfectly processed vocal effect. The end result creates an ethereal, almost spiritual dimension that is certainly better sounding than anything found on commercial radio! No smooth jazz, retro-Cher/top 40 vibe here... just simply great music, period. Check out this poetic excerpt from the "Exchange" lyrics (translated from Icelandic of course):
"The stars fall into my palms
I put them into me where you are
I rise up against the sky
Open and ready to receive the world."
This is what I mean by No Fear, No Limits...you don't expect it... it is about being an artist and going for it...and he does it with confidence and grace.
Matt is fluent in so many musical styles. He has no problem being both an excellent band leader and a soloist prominently showcasing his innovative bass playing up close and in your face (but not like Jaco on the ego end, or Marcus Miller on the "not quite enough bass soloing" side... just the right amount). While I suspect that feeling of musical "Unity" is what it is all about for Matt Garrison the band leader (listen below), his modern electronic ventures into new and forbidden worlds of jazz is what it's really about for his artistic spirit ...and, damn, what a soulful, together, tight, unified sound he delivers... so happy and so badass five string strummin free!
with Jazz-Rock.com - DECEMBER 9, 2004
1. Congratulations on your LIVE DVD/CD! It is quite excellent. How did it come about? the music? the video? the players?
Thanks. The DVD was an idea that I had floating around for a couple of years and it finally came to fruition when I met Pete Teresi and Carolina Saavedra from Pefaur Productions (www.pefaurproductions.com). I originally wanted to just make a live recording but of course once I had the option of filming the recording session it all just came in to place. The music is primarily from my first CD. We actually recorded even more material that didn't make it to the final output but that's for a reissue with bonus tracks later. All the musicians except for Jojo Mayer were on my first recording and that's who I wanted to feature on the live DVD. 
2. How about your ShapeShifter CD? How did it come together? What was the inspiration?
The title itself is kind of a self description. I feel I have become somewhat of a mutating character that takes on the shape that is necessary for the type of music work at hand. It's also a statement of independence of thought. Having started my own record label has given me a sense of hope, pride and strength when composing music in the sense that I have no one to answer to when I have an idea to layout. The project was constructed over a period of 2 years and just took on a life of it's own once I got to about the 4th composition. Everything just rolled on naturally and as new influences became available they appeared in the music immediately. Shapeshifter was really inspired by my first record, Squarepusher, Bjork and Sergei Prokofiev's music.
3. How do you approach composition and live improv with such original ideas?
I guess I just don't pay attention to what is traditionally or technically considered jazz. I just do what I like and dare to make my own decisions concerning sound, style, approach, concepts... I hate limitations and evaluations. That's not my field. The worst thing is that those limitations and fears usually come from other musicians in my same field. Really some sad shit....
4. What are some golden moments with all the great musicians you have played with?
The golden moments have been just knowing and feeling that while you're performing with these geniuses you share a common bond, even if it's just for a split second, that we're all moving in the same direction. I love it when I'm welcomed into a space to share the experience of music, and over the years I've been blessed to be welcomed into spaces of pure musical bliss. I'm very thankful to all of them...
5. What's going on with GJP and what is your vision for your future?
Well first I'd like to thank all of the incredible people that took the "plunge" and actually purchased my 2 latest projects "Shapeshifter" and "Matt Garrison Live". I posted a notice on my site prior to the release of them both stating that file swapping and CD ripping were only going to make my future productions impossible and that I needed folks to seriously consider supporting my label rather than opposing it. In the past 3 months I've sold more CD's and DVD's than ever before and I cannot possibly thank people enough for their support and respect. We are responsible for our actions and that's the most important reality to understand at the moment. Now that my production war chest is basically full again I'm going to take a breather and decide which project to develop next. Whichever it will be, I will begin that actual work early next year.
Thanks for having me as a guest on your site.
- Matt G.
In 1988 Matthew returned to the United States and lived with his godfather Jack Dejohnette for two years. Here he studied intensively with both Dejohnette and bassist Dave Holland.
In 1989 Matthew received a full scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. Here he began his professional career with the likes of Gary Burton, Bob Moses, Betty Carter, Mike Gibbs and Lyle Mays to mention a few. Matthew moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1994 and has performed and recorded with artists such as Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Joni Mitchell, Steve Coleman, Pat Metheny, John Mclaughlin, The Gil Evans Orchestra, John Scofield, Chaka Khan, The Saturday Night Live Band and many others.
In 1998 Matthew founded GarrisonJazz Productions through which he currently Produces, Promotes and Markets his music. The latest projects are “SHAPESHIFTER” and “MATT GARRISON LIVE”. All information concerning these and other releases may be obtained through www.GarrisonJazz.com
In the mid 90's we were approached by Matt in his quest to find a bass to compliment his unique playing style. Initially Matt was attracted to the Imperial bass, however after numerous modifications were made at his request, the Imperial was transformed into a significantly new design. The Matt Garrison Signature model is distinguished by several important features including a 33" scale, ash neck, ebony fingerboard, 26 frets and a finger ramp between the pickups to better facilitate Matt's style of light-touch multi finger style playing. The body made of highly select walnut is light and diminutive providing this bass with an overall warm tone but with a pointed clarity to the notes. The shorter scale and quick respone makes this bass incredibly effortless to play.
Bob Moses – Time Stood Still (1994)
Nando Lauria – Points of View (1994)
Steve Coleman – The Tao of Mad Phat (1995)
Joe Zawinul – My People (1996)
Steve Coleman – Def Trance Beat (1997)
John McLaughlin – The Heart of Things (1997)
Rocco Zifarelli – Lyndon (1998)
Harry Sokal – Full Circle (1998)
Andy Milne – Forward to Get Back (1998)
Jim Beard – Advocate (1999)
John McLaughlin – The Heart of Things - "Live in Paris" (2000)
Matthew Garrison – Matthew Garrison (2001)
Dennis Chambers – Outbreak (2002)
Herbie Hancock – Future 2 Future Live (2002)
Anders Mogensen, Niclas Knudsen – Anders Mogensen & Niclas Knudsen feat. Matt Garrison (2002)
Revolution Void – Increase the Dosage (2004)
Matthew Garrison – Matt Garrison Live (2004)
Matthew Garrison – Shapeshifter (2004)
World Saxophone Quartet - Experience (2004)
Wallace Roney – Prototype (2004)
Me'shell Ndegeocello – The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel (2005)
Gary Husband – Force Majeure (2005)
Wallace Roney – Mystical (2005)
John McLaughlin – Industrial Zen (2006)
Alex Machacek, Jeff Sipe - "Improvision" (2007)
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
MATTHEW GARRISON
JIMMY GARRISON
Remembering Jimmy Garrison
Jimmy Garrison (March 3, 1933 – April 7, 1976) was an American jazz double bassist best known for his long association with John Coltrane from 1961 – 1967.
Biography
He formally joined Coltrane's quartet in 1962 as a replacement for Reggie Workman and appears on many Coltrane recordings, including A Love Supreme. During live performances of music by John Coltrane's group, the leader would often provide Garrison with time and space for an unaccompanied improvised solo (sometimes as the prelude to a song before the other musicians joined in).
Garrison also had a long association with Ornette Coleman, first recording with him on Art of the Improvisers. He and drummer Elvin Jones have been credited with eliciting more forceful playing than usual from Coleman on the albums New York is Now and Love Call.
Outside of the Coltrane and Coleman ensembles, Jimmy Garrison performed with jazz artists such as Kenny Dorham, Philly Joe Jones, Curtis Fuller, Benny Golson, Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz, Jackie McLean, Pharoah Sanders, and Tony Scott, among others. After Coltrane's death, Garrison worked with Hampton Hawes, Archie Shepp, and groups led by Elvin Jones.[1]
Family
Jimmy Garrison's son Matthew Garrison is also a bass player, playing mainly bass guitar. Matthew has recorded with Joe Zawinul, Chaka Khan, The Saturday Night Live Band, John McLaughlin, Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, Steve Coleman and others. [2] Garrison's daughter MaiaClaire Garrison is a dancer and choreographer who worked as a child acrobat with Big Apple Circus in New York.
Source: http://nightlight.typepad.com/nightlight/2005/10/remembering_jim.html
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Biography by Chris Kelsey
Garrison is best known as bassist for one of the most important jazz groups, John Coltrane's classic quartet with drummer Elvin Jones and pianist McCoy Tyner. But Garrison had a full career backing other prominent saxophonists, including Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp, and Ornette Coleman. Garrison's work with Coleman is especially noteworthy; his earthy, hard-swinging approach contrasted greatly with the work of the saxophonist's other, more finesse-oriented bassists like David Izenson or Scott LaFaro. The Garrison/Elvin Jones rhythm section transformed Coleman on two very underrated albums made for Blue Note, New York Is Now and Love Call. Nowhere else on record does Coleman sound so consistently forceful and passionate. The lithe tunefulness that marks the saxophonist's earlier playing is augmented by a more pronounced physicality that pushes the blues aspect to the fore; this due in no small part to Garrison and Jones' focused intensity, which drives Coleman harder than he's ever been driven. Of course, it's with Coltrane that Garrison did his most enduring work. Although Garrison could be a compelling soloist when the occasion presented itself (witness his work on A Love Supreme), he didn't need the spotlight to be effective. His propulsive sense of time never failed, and his empathy with those playing around him was complete. 
Garrison grew up in Philadelphia, where he learned to play bass. Garrison came of age in the midst of a thriving Philadelphia jazz scene that included Tyner, fellow bassists Reggie Workman and Henry Grimes, and trumpeter Lee Morgan. Between 1957 and 1960, Garrison played and recorded with trumpeter Kenny Dorham; clarinetist Tony Scott; drummer Philly Joe Jones; and saxophonists Bill Barron, Lee Konitz, and Jackie McLean, among others. His first record with Coleman was Art of the Improvisers (Atlantic, 1959). In 1960, he made My Favorite Things (Atlantic) with Coltrane. He continued to play with Coleman and others -- Cal Massey, Walter Bishop, Jr., and Dorham, to name a few -- but by 1962 his job with Coltrane had essentially become full-time. Garrison remained with Coltrane until the saxophonist's death in July 1967. The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording (Impulse!, 2001), a live recording made by Coltrane just a couple of months before his death, includes Garrison with Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, Rashied Ali, and Jumma Santos. After Coltrane, Garrison worked with Ornette Coleman once again, and played on record dates led by Sanders, Jones, Shepp, Sonny Rollins, and Alice Coltrane. Garrison also taught occasionally; William Parker, one of the most highly regarded bassists of the late '90s and early 2000s, was his student.
Source: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gzfixqt5ldde~T1
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Jimmy Garrison was one of the most advanced bassists of the 1960s, a perfect candidate to play with John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman.
He grew up in Philadelphia and came to New York with Philly Joe Jones in 1958. He freelanced for a couple of years with the likes of Bill Evans, Benny Golson, Kenny Dorham and Lennie Tristano and then succeeded Charlie Haden in Ornette Coleman's Quartet (1961). However Garrison will always be associated with John Coltrane (1961-67), not only playing with the classic quartet (which included McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones) but surviving the tumultuous changes and staying with 'Trane until the end.
Garrison's solos (which were thoughtful and slow to build) were not to everyone's taste but his ability to play coherent and inspiring lines in the raging ensembles behind Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders was quite impressive. After Coltrane's death, Garrison played in groups led by Alice Coltrane, Archie Shepp and Elvin Jones before lung cancer cut shorthis life.
Source: Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
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Biography by Richard Eskow
genius, teacher, good man
John at Crooks and Liars just made my day, by linking to this CNN story - John Coltrane has two of this week's three top jazz albums, 38 years after he passed away. I took lessons from his bass player, Jimmy Garrison, many years ago. It was an honor and privilege I didn't fully grasp at the time.
At every stage in my life there have been musicians or songs that triggered a near-mystical response in me: the first one I remember is "Stranger on the Shore" by Mr. Acker Bilk (I must have been four, maybe?), then Buddy Holly and the Chiffons at around the same time, Otis Redding at 12 -- for a while in my teens Trane was the guy elected to send me into an altered state. 
When I started taking lessons from Jimmy I was the least schooled and proficient of his students, but he said he liked my attitude and "philosophy" toward music. (We would have very theoretical conversations ...) When I ran out of money, he offered to keep teaching me for free.
I took him up on his offer for a while, but the fact is I didn't have the self-control to woodshed as much as would be appropriate and respectful to him as my teacher. I was seventeen years old and not at my best. I couldn't keep up with his lessons and pursue my bad habits, too. I was ashamed to tell him that, so I lied and said I couldn't make the bus fare to his apartment either. When he offered to give free lessons and pay my way, I just disappeared.
When he died I regretted having ended our relationship on a falsehood. He was a beautiful cat - and unusually tolerant of the fact that I sang in a country/western band on weekends. I even wrote country songs in the three- and four-chord structure Jimmy considered imprisoning and unimaginative, but elitism was not his thing. Today I can admit to him - and to you - that I've never been very disciplined, and that chops aren't my strong suit on guitar either.
Hanging out at Jimmy's apartment was a thrill all its own. You never knew which legend would stop by. A fellow student and I once went through the black book by his telephone while we were waiting for him, just to see the names of the greats ...
His family now maintains a website in his memory. I'm glad. "Genius" is an overused word, but he was one. He was also kind, sensitive, warm, and generous. I wish I could talk to him. I'm not greedy - one time would be enough. I'd like to say "thank you" once more, with feeling.
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Garrison is best known as bassist for one of the most important jazz groups, John Coltrane's classic quartet with drummer Elvin Jones and pianist McCoy Tyner. But Garrison had a full career backing other prominent saxophonists, including Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp, and Ornette Coleman. Garrison's work with Coleman is especially noteworthy; his earthy, hard-swinging approach contrasted greatly with the work of the saxophonist's other, more finesse-oriented bassists like David Izenson or Scott LaFaro. The Garrison/Elvin Jones rhythm section transformed Coleman on two very underrated albums made for Blue Note, New York Is Now and Love Call. Garrison grew up in Philadelphia, where he learned to play bass. Garrison came of age in the midst of a thriving Philadelphia jazz scene that included Tyner, fellow bassists Reggie Workman and Henry Grimes, and trumpeter Lee Morgan. Between 1957 and 1960, Garrison played and recorded with trumpeter Kenny Dorham; clarinetist Tony Scott; drummer Philly Joe Jones; and saxophonists Bill Barron, Lee Konitz, and Jackie McLean, among others. His first record with Coleman was Art of the Improvisers (Atlantic, 1959). In 1960, he made My Favorite Things (Atlantic) with Coltrane. He continued to play with Coleman and others -- Cal Massey, Walter Bishop Jr., and Dorham, but by 1962 his job with Coltrane had become full-time. Garrison remained with Coltrane until the saxophonist's death in July 1967. Garrison worked with Ornette Coleman once again, and played on record dates led by Sanders, Jones, Shepp, Sonny Rollins, and Alice Coltrane.
Source: http://www.jayhungerford.com/bassplayers-garrison.html
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Bassist Jimmy Garrison was the anchor in the classic John Coltrane Quartet, from 1961-'66, which recorded all of its well-known albums on Impulse. Garrison's big, blunt sound, steady time and inventive counter lines were an elemental ingredient in the sound of that famous group. He actually fitted into the group with great insight, supplying a traditional role on the more straight ahead material and exploratory counter melodies and responses as the music grew more progressive.
Garrison was born on March 3, 1934, in Miami, but grew up in Philadelphia, where he first played briefly with Coltrane and McCoy Tyner, in 1957. Garrison moved to New York the following year, where he worked with Curtis Fuller, Philly Joe Jones, Benny Golson, Bill Evans, Kenny Dorham and Lennie Tristano.
Garrison’s early work with Ornette Coleman earned him respect and recognition in the New York jazz circle, and his joint effort with Elvin Jones in that period is thought to be some of Coleman’s best outings.
His first record with Coleman was “Art of the Improvisers,” (Atlantic, 1959). In 1960, he made “My Favorite Things” (Atlantic) with Coltrane. He continued to play with Coleman and others, but by 1962 his job with Coltrane had essentially become full-time. Garrison remained with Coltrane until the saxophonist's death in July 1967. “The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording” (Impulse!, 2001), a live recording made by Coltrane just a couple of months before his death, includes Garrison with Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, Rashied Ali, and Jumma Santos. After Coltrane, Garrison worked with Ornette Coleman once again, and played on record dates led by Sanders, Jones, Shepp, Sonny Rollins, and Alice Coltrane. He was featured on quite an extensive number of sessions as bassist. He also taught at Bennington and Wesleyan colleges
Jimmy Garrison died on April 7, 1976, in New York.
Source: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=6964
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Discography
As leader
1963: Illumination! (Impulse! Records) - co-leader with Elvin Jones
As sideman
Jazz Contrasts (Kenny Dorham , 1957)
Blues For Dracula (Philly Joe Jones, 1958)
Swing, Swang, Swinging (Jackie McLean, 1959)
Live at the Half Note (Lee Konitz, 1959)
Images of Curtis Fuller (Curtis Fuller, 1960)
Ballads (John Coltrane, 1962)
Coltrane (John Coltrane, 1962)
Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (John Coltrane, 1962)
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman ((John Coltrane, 1962)
Live at birdland (John Coltrane, 1963)
Crescent (John Coltrane, 1964)
A Love Supreme (John Coltrane, 1964)
Ascension (John Coltrane, 1965)
First Meditations (John Coltrane, 1965)
The John Coltrane Quartet Plays (John Coltrane, 1965)
Kulu Sé Mama (John Coltrane, 1965)
Live at the Half Note: One Up, One Down (John Coltrane, 1965)
Live in Seattle (John Coltrane, 1965)
The Major Works of John Coltrane (John Coltrane, 1965)
Meditations (John Coltrane, 1965)
Transition (John Coltrane, 1965)
Sun Ship (John Coltrane, 1965)
Live in Japan (4 discs) (John Coltrane, 1966)
Live at the Village Vanguard Again! (John Coltrane, 1966)
Expression (John Coltrane, 1967)
The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording (John Coltrane, 1967)
East Broadway Run Down (Sonny Rollins,1966)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
MIKE MERRITT
--------------- My father, Jymie Merritt, is the first bass player I’d ever known, and the reason why I do what I am doing today. He had established himself in the 50’s and 60’s on recordings and gigs with Tadd Dameron, Earl Bostic, Bullmoose Jackson, B.B. King, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker, Benny Golson, Dizzy Gillespie and many others. My mother, Dorothy, always had the house filled with great jazz sounds from artists like Ray Charles, Horace Silver, Dakota Staton, Gloria Lynne, Jimmy Smith, Charles Mingus, Wes Montgomery and some of whom, like John Coltrane and Bobby Timmons, because my father worked with them, would stop by our house every now and then. I discovered bass playing in my mid-teens when I would come up to New York and tag along with Jymie to his gigs. I always knew my dad as an upright player but when I saw that he had an electric bass, something clicked. That bass, a 1964 Fender Jazz Bass, was given to me and is the centerpiece of my bass collection and I still use it on gigs and sessions. Jymie was also one of the first jazz players to use the electric upright bass. The one he used is the Ampeg Baby Bass, which he plays on the Lee Morgan album "Live At The Lighthouse" and nowdays I'm playing one of those, too. Mine is called the Zeta Crossover Bass. Anyway, around this time I got to see my father in action on gigs and I met Lee Morgan, Max Roach, Freddie Hubbard, Clifford Jordan, Odean Pope and many other cats on the jazz scene with whom he worked. Just about all of these bands were rooted in the blues in one way or the other, which was one reason why I liked them, but I had not yet discovered the "real" blues of Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon. Later, after high school I was mostly listening to jazz-everything from bebop to fusion. The bulk of my learning experiences came from studies with percussionist/composer Warren McLendon. He was conservatory trained but known around Philly as being of the avant-garde and his musical approach reflected influences from Coltrane’s final creative period, with only a nod at mainstream jazz tradition. In fact, he and my father developed a distinct musical language that existed on its own terms and one had to learn it in order to play their original compositions. We performed in a collective known as Forerunner/Nuclei, doing occasional concerts in the Philadelphia area, even coming to New York to play at Carnegie Recital Hall. This experience culminated in a recording titled 'Spirit of the Ghost Dance', released on our own label and marked my first time in the recording studio. In late 79’ Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers came to play at the Bijou Cafe in Philadelphia. After meeting the guys in the band, pianist James Williams, Bobby Watson on alto, Dave Schnitter on tenor, Valery Ponomarev on trumpet and Dennis Irwin on bass, I was asked to sit in. Art introduced me and we played 'Along Came Betty', which my dad had recorded with him some years before. Afterward, the guys said you should come to New York because that’s where the gigs are. I started out with Johnny in mid-1981 when his first album for Rounder, "Copeland Special" came out. We used to play at the Top Club in Harlem and at the original Tramps’ Blues Room downtown as well as road gigs in the northeast and New England. In early 82’ I recorded with him for the first time on the album titled "I Make My Home Where I Hang My Hat", which got a four-star review in Rolling Stone magazine and led to Johnny becoming a fixture on the international blues circuit. I believe it was the first time a black American blues artist wrote original songs reflecting a bluesman’s view of Africa and recorded it there on the continent itself. We were also the first blues band to tour what was then known as East Germany and did many festivals and TV appearances on the continent, including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Paris Jazz Festival, Barcelona Jazz Festival to name a few. In the US we were on the road constantly and some of the highlights were touring with Stevie Ray Vaughn, sharing the bill on many club and concert appearances with artists like Robert Cray, Albert King, Albert Collins, Joe Louis Walker, Lonnie Brooks and John Lee Hooker. We also played the Long Beach Blues Fest, the New Orleans’ Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Ann Arbor Blues Festival and the San Francisco Blues Festival on which Johnny was the headline artist in 1988. By this time I was also acting as road manager and band coordinator on top of being the bass player. Whew! Johnny Clyde Copeland passed away in July of 1997. He was a great bluesman who gave me my start as a working musician, and I'll always be grateful for the many things I learned from him, about the blues and about life. From that point on I had a working relationship with Johnnie. He was great to play with (and I always kept an eye on his left hand) but very shy onstage and didn’t want to sing. We closed that first set in Sicily with "Johnny Be Goode" with the audience singing along and afterward, Johnny Copeland told Johnson that he should "start singin’ to those people out there, they’ll help you out-they know the words". In between our gigs with Johnnie Johnson, Jimmy and I, along with James Wormworth began playing our own gigs around NYC, sometimes as part of the New York Rock and Soul Review. That band included Donald Fagen, Phoebe Snow, Al Kooper, Elliott Randall, Catherine Russell, Jerry Vivino and others; in early 92’ the club DOWNTIME opened and the three of us played there from the beginning, eventually playing there every Thursday night for the next five years. The Vivino Brothers’ first CD, titled "Chitlins Parmigiana" was released in 1992 on the DMP label and stands as kind of a document of this period. We also became a backup band for visiting blues artists like Hubert Sumlin, Son Seals, Sugar Blue, and Lowell Fulson. In the summer of 93’ Jimmy contacted me again and said Max was putting together a new band to audition for the new Late Night show at NBC. By the middle of August the band had been chosen and thus became The Max Weinberg Seven. Since September of 1993 we’ve been on the air and providing the musical connective tissue that hold the various segments of the show together, like playing the opening theme, Conan’s walk across to the desk, the guest entrance music and lots of comedy sketch music. I also get to play with my other great bandmates, trombonist Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg (The Year 2000 Guy), and pianist Scott Healy. I even get to jam with Conan sometimes during a break in rehersal when he’s bashing away on Max’s drums or strumming along on his Stratocaster guitar. In the fall of 2000 an album produced by our bandleader titled, "The Max Weinberg 7" was released. This CD features full-length versions of tunes we often play on the show, with a guest performance by Dr. John. I guess I always just wanted to be one of the cats, man. Be it Jazz cat, Blues cat, Rock cat, whatever. I started out wanting to play certain kinds of music that I thought I wanted to play and wound up in a whole different direction, which was probably for the better. There’s a common thread that flows through all these disparate musical situations I’ve been involved in, and I don’t know how to describe it except that it feels a little bit furry!
Michael Monroe "Mike" Merritt (born July 28, 1955) is an American bassist best known for playing with The Max Weinberg 7 on the late night television show Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
Merritt was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father is jazz bassist Jymie Merritt, who has performed and recorded with many jazz and blues musicians, most notably Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Mike began lessons on upright with Eligio Rossi then studies with percussionist/composer Warren McLendon. Although his father was primarily an upright bass player, he also owned a 1964 Fender Jazz Bass which Mike felt was the instrument he was meant to play. During this time Mike absorbed a number of influences ranging from jazz to rhythm and blues to blues to rock.
After playing in a jazz group called Forerunner/Nuclei, Mike moved to New York in 1980 at the suggestion of the members of the Jazz Messengers. It was here that he began playing with blues legend Johnny Copeland and continued through 1989. While on the road with Copeland, he backed up Chuck Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson which led to Mike working with him off and on for the next several years.
It was also around this time that Mike started gigging around the New York scene where he regularly played with future members of The Max Weinberg 7. In 1993, guitarist Jimmy Vivino called Mike about a group being put together by Max Weinberg to audition for the house band on what would become Late Night with Conan O'Brien. The band has been there for the entire run of the show.
Mike plays with a strong, swinging groove whether he's playing the Late Night theme song (in which his walking bassline is prominently featured in the intro), a blues shuffle or even the barrelling 8th notes of a Ramones song.
Mike plays a variety of basses including Rickenbacker, Lakland, Fender, Hofner, the Zeta Crossover bass and a 1935 Kurt Moenning 3/4’ Acoustic Bass.
Mike lives in suburban New Jersey.
I was practically out of high school when I got serious about playing music so I studied privately for a while, taking string bass lessons with Eligio Rossi and theory at Settlement Music School. The music I was listening to and buying records of at the time were Chicago, Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Creedence, Sly, the Stones, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Mountain, Humble Pie, ELP and Yes.
By this time I had left Copeland’s band in mid-89’ and began to work locally on what was then a very active NYC blues scene, playing with people like Popa Chubby and Joan Osborne, and putting bands together for Johnnie when he came to New York. The combination that really clicked with Johnnie right away was with future LATE NIGHT bandmate Jimmy Vivino on guitar and vocals, who used to come down to the old Lone Star Cafe and watch me and Johnny Copeland play, and James Wormworth, my old bandmate from the Johnny Copeland days, on drums. We went on the road with Johnnie, playing at The Mint in L.A. where, unknown to us at the time, Conan O'Brien was in the audience, and we had a memorable gig at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 92'.We also had a chance to record an album together with him, the 1995 MusicMasters release titled "Johnnie Be Back".
In 2005 I have finally released my first album as a leader, along with my sister Mharlyn on vocals. Titled "Alone Together", self-produced on my own imprint (Emerrittus Records) we interpreted tunes from the standard jazz repertoire as well as newer songs by Mark Knopfler and Sting. Although jazz is the main influence on this record, it is not my only influence and future projects will reflect other sounds and attitudes.
JYMIE MERRITT
--------------- Jymie Merritt By Ron Wynn With Art Blakey
Jymie Merritt (born 3 May 1926) is an American hard bop double-bassist, and a father of a bassist, Mike Merritt, from Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
Biography
Raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he received early training as a classical bassist (double bass), but he credits the following experiences, which took place in the 1940s, as proving more significant musically: (1) his early gigs in Philadelphia, PA with pianist Hassan Ibn Ali (duo) and (2) jam sessions, often conducted at his own house, with his mother as hostess, that included such local notables at the time as Jimmy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Smith, John Dennis and Benny Golson. Other early experiences included gigs with the Jimmy Campbell Quintet and the Ernie Hopkins Quartet. Jymie's first touring experience in the 1950s was with the Bull Moose Jackson Orchestra under the musical direction of Tadd Dameron. He toured also with Chris Powell and the Blue Flames (1952-55), one of the first rock groups; with blues great B.B. King; and later with Red Prysock. Jymie's early jazz instrument was the acoustic double bass. His performing instrument as a rock bassist and blues bassist was a Fender electric bass.
Jymie is perhaps best known for his years touring and recording as an acoustic bassist with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (1958-62).
A number of sources have credited Jymie Merritt with inventing the Ampeg bass, but this information is incorrect. Jymie explains his association with the Ampeg bass as follows: While he was touring with Bull Moose Jackson in the 50s, he met Everett Hull, bassist and developer of the Ampeg system for acoustic bass, and the two developed a friendship. Some years later, Hull sent Jymie a prototype of his latest product, the Ampeg five-string upright bass, which Jymie performed on from 1960 to 1985. Recordings that Jymie made with the Max Roach Quintet (1965-68) and Lee Morgan Quintet (1970-72), including Morgan's Live at the Lighthouse, employ the Ampeg bass. He also used the Ampeg with the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band and Quintet and with a number of other groups, including groups led by Lee Shaw, Al Haig, and Archie Shepp.
In periods between touring, Merritt started the Forerunner movement in Philadelphia and served as its artistic guide. The Forerunners--later called Forerunner--brought together performing artists linked by ideas of community and creative exploration.
From 1998 through 2005, Merritt performed weekly on the acoustic bass in a jazz duo at The Prime Rib restaurant in Philadelphia, PA.
To quote reviewer Devin Leonard, "Merritt is also an interesting modern composer with a penchant for odd meters and rhythmic patterns." Merritt's newest compositions explore these patterns in a computer-driven context in which he performs on a six-string upright bass.
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Jymie Merritt Biography
A classically trained player with a surging style characterized by the frequent use of triplet figures and putting notes ahead of the beat, Jymie Merritt made a successful switch from jazz to R&B and blues and back to jazz again in the '50s. Merritt played with John Coltrane, Benny Golson and Philly Joe Jones in 1949, but worked with Bull Moose Jackson and B.B. King playing electric bass in the early and mid-'50s. He returned to jazz when he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in the late '50s, and also went back to the acoustic. He later invented his own instrument, the Ampeg, sort of a modification hybrid of both. Merritt stayed with Blakey until 1962, then recorded with Chet Baker in 1964. Merritt played with Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie and Lee Morgan from the mid-'60s to the early '70s. He'd helped form an organization comprised of musicians and performers from other disciplines known as The Forerunners in 1962. This became Forerunner, a cooperative organization that was active in Philadelphia's cultural and community activities into the late '80s. He's never recorded as a leader, but Merritt can be heard on CD reissues by Morgan, Roach, and others.
Source: Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
A classically trained player with a surging style characterized by the frequent use of triplet figures and putting notes ahead of the beat, Jymie Merritt made a successful switch from jazz to R&B and blues and back to jazz again in the '50s. Merritt played with John Coltrane, Benny Golson and Philly Joe Jones in 1949, but worked with Bull Moose Jackson and B.B. King playing electric bass in the early and mid-'50s. He returned to jazz when he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in the late '50s, and also went back to the acoustic. He later invented his own instrument, the Ampeg, sort of a modification hybrid of both. Merritt stayed with Blakey until 1962, then recorded with Chet Baker in 1964. Merritt played with Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie and Lee Morgan from the mid-'60s to the early '70s. He'd helped form an organization comprised of musicians and performers from other disciplines known as The Forerunners in 1962. This became Forerunner, a cooperative organization that was active in Philadelphia's cultural and community activities into the late '80s. He's never recorded as a leader, but Merritt can be heard on CD reissues by Morgan, Roach, and others.
Source: All Music Group
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Discography
As sideman
The Big Beat (1960)
Like Someone in Love (1960)
Mosaic (1961)
A Day with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (1961)
Pisces (1961)
The Freedom Rider (1961)
Roots & Herbs (1961)
Three Blind Mice (1962)
REGGIE WORKMAN
Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his important work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey.
Biography
He was a member of jazz groups led by Gigi Gryce, Roy Haynes and Red Garland. In 1961, Workman joined the John Coltrane Quartet, replacing Steve Davis. He was present for the saxophonist's legendary Live at the Village Vanguard sessions, and also appeared with a second bassist (Art Davis) on the 1961 album, Ole Coltrane.
After a European tour, Workman left Coltrane's group at the end of the year. Workman also played with James Moody, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Yusef Lateef, Herbie Mann and Thelonious Monk. He has recorded with Archie Shepp, Lee Morgan and David Murray.
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A Fireside Chat with Reggie Workman
FRED JUNG: Let's start from the beginning.
REGGIE WORKMAN: Because of environment. The environment probably prompted me to want to be a part what it was because music is a part of the environment that most of us grew up in. It was quite unlike it is today. There was a lot of live music, a lot of live venues for new music, a lot of great musicians who lived in the communities around Philadelphia, a lot of theaters, a lot of activity that would encourage a younger person to be a pert of the scene. I started as a very young person, eight or nine years old, studying piano and I think my parents recognized that. So that is the way I started as a young person. My parents probably recognized how music was a part of our community and put me in touch with some lessons and from there it grew. Now, that I look back on the situation, I realize how much the culture has to do with the evolution of a people. A lot of our institutions as a young person in the school systems and so forth didn't encourage too much cultural evolution, but that was a natural thing in our community. I think my parents recognized that and in developed from there. I stopped dealing with piano when I was about twelve years old, thirteen. The sports in the streets called me and so I got involved with that and left piano to grow into another area of life. I had a cousin, who recently passed, encouraged me. He used to stand me up by his bass and showed me how to play it and I liked that sound. Eventually, I went looking for it and so I started to play the bass in my final year of junior high school. They didn't have a bass, so I ended up playing wind instruments until a bass came, just before I graduated. Then from there, I moved over to high school, where I got an instrument and eventually got my own instrument and have been studying it ever since.
FJ: Give me your impression of Lee Morgan.
RW: Lee Morgan and I grew up together. We both grew up around Philadelphia and so we played a lot together around the scene. We knew one another. We knew the same people. He had a giant record collection, so we used to hang out a lot. He went to a music school in New York. We often crossed paths. He was a delightful person and tremendous talent.
FJ: Wayne Shorter.
RW: That happened during the time when Wayne was just growing into himself and I was in
New York. A lot of musicians convened on the scene in New York from all over the world, Wayne coming from the New Jersey area. We often ended up on the bandstand together even before the Art Blakey days. Then as we grew, we all ended up in the band together. All the people who you heard in the classic Art Blakey ensembles often would see one another in New York over the years and during the years prior because of just what the scene was. There were places to work. There were jobs. There were jam sessions. There were reasons to be crossing one another's path.FJ: And Lee Morgan and Wayne Shorter in the frontline along with you and Blakey in the rhythm section is why that band is so highly thought of.
RW: Of course, everyone was significant as they always have been. As you grow, you get an idea of who's who. They are not just significant because they have been embraced by the system. They were significant because they had something to offer when they were very young musicians and they always have had that gift throughout their career.
FJ: And the same holds true of your association with John Coltrane?
RW: Our association wasn't brief. John Coltrane spent a lot of time in Philadelphia, where I am from and therefore, we saw one another long before I joined the group. Even through the late Sixties, we spent a lot of time traveling and making music together. He was developing and I was developing and our paths crossed for a while.
FJ: You must have been asked this numerously through the years, but with such a kinship, why did you leave the band?
RW: I'm a bit tired of those questions. I left the band because my father was dying and I had to leave New York and go back home and take care of my family, number one. Number two, John and the rest of the band was growing very fast and John had decided that he wanted to try another voice in his bass chair. He had been listening to Ornette Coleman, who had Jimmy Garrison in the group and Coleman suggested he try Jimmy and he did. That was a great union. Of course, Jimmy was very compatible with everybody in the band.
FJ: So no regrets?
RW: I think we have an idea of what is in store for us in life and what you can achieve and what you want to do. So be it. It is like any other profession.
FJ: With convincing albums Summit Conference, Cerebral Caverns, and Altered Spaces, why haven't you recorded more?
“I used to study the Hindu philosophy... one thing that it taught me was that when you reach beyond a certain point, you leave a lot of people by the wayside. You move away from a lot of people and your society becomes a lot smaller...”
RW: Looking back on that situation, I realized that while a lot of people were spending time developing and honing their skills for composing and developing a band, I was busy helping somebody else with their program as being a supporting artist. You can start down that path and before you know it, and this is a good thing to say to the younger musicians, you will find yourself moving down that path and there is nobody that pulls your coat, you haven't developed what you need developed as a bandleader, as a composer, as a person who is shaping the way the music is going as far as what the industry considers significant. That is what I see happened in my life. Later on in life when I realized that, I decided that it was time for me to change, but of course, when I was prepared to make that change, I had already been through quite a few groups, quite a number of groups, so my ideas were a little different from the average person who was stepping into that arena and that was not always sellable in regards to the industry's whims. I realized that as you grow your society becomes smaller so you don't expect to be
among the stars in the industry when you want to do something different. That is what happens to the person who decides to stick to their guns and do that. During those days, it was a little bit different than it is now. The message was different. If you are a follower of the music, you will hear those people who made different moves and who evolved. If you are an intelligent person, when you listen to the growth of each one of those musicians, you will understand where their mind is because everything is apparent.FJ: Evidence just reissued Great Friends with Sunny Fortune and Billy Harper.
RW: Most of the music that you listen to in this world of music never grows old. The more you listen to it, the more you hear in it because of just what is real in the world. When we did that product, we were taking a group to Europe to tour. I have a sister who is married to a Frenchman and she was working for a company there, Black & Blue, the original label that we produced the record on because of her wanted our group to record for her and we did. It came out, but it was only for Europe. Evidence became interested in it and put it out here. It is not something that will grow old because all the musicians are fresh and everybody is really playing good on it. It is just too bad that it was twenty-something years later before people get a chance to hear what was on your mind and they expect you to still be there. Not so. Everybody has moved onto their own ideas and their own thoughts and their own desires. Consequently, because of the amount of time that it takes for something to come out, that is what happens. Bands fall apart in the interim. That was a lot like when we were working with John. Bob Theile let John put in the contract that if he records for him, the record must come out within 'X' amount of months so that people will not come to you and ask you to play something that is old hat to you. Your mind has moved onto other things in five minutes, let alone five months. When I first joined John's group, people would ask him to play 'Favorite Things' and he didn't want to think about that. He did it because he was that kind of person who could do anything that he wanted to do and make it fresh, but he realized very quickly that his mind and his soul was moving so fast and the message was so futuristic that he didn't want to paint himself into a corner, so he had that put into the contract.
FJ: And the future?
RW: I have a group. I lost the saxophonist who was prime in the group. He had some problems and he fell off the scene. The groups that I have now, they vary because people have different things and I am not consistent enough in the business to keep it together. I am trying to pass my knowledge onto younger musicians and that takes a lot of time and energy along with living life and things that you have to do to keep up with this world. I am hearing certain things. I have certain ideas that I would like to do as far as the music is concerned, but I don't want to just get out there and do it. I want to spend some time with it before we present it. Spending time with it means finding people who have the time to spend with you and that is not easy to do. When you are away from the music, you are not at your best physical state like Tyson couldn't win after being in the joint for a few years. So you are not in the best physical state as far as your performance is concerned, so you become a little reluctant to just jump out there without some preparation. That is where I am right now. Between having had the time when I was very active in the music world and living through a time now, when I am not as active, I would like to be, in my mind, I would like to do several large projects which I have not done many of through my career. I am working on a opera right now. That is the direction that I want to go in. I would like not to spend a lot of energy and time with being a supporting artists for other person's projects because I have learned over the years that that doesn't work. I used to study the Hindu philosophy a lot and one thing that it taught me was that when you reach beyond a certain point, you leave a lot of people by the wayside. You move away from a lot of people and your society becomes a lot smaller according to which direction you are moving in. If you understand that reality, then you understand how to accept the fact that your society is smaller and therefore, the reward is smaller. I have seen some really great rewards. First of all, Fred, I am still on the planet. A lot of my associates are not. I have a beautiful family. I think that is a great reward. It comes back in different ways depending on where you values are, you will realize whether it is a reward or whether it is a detriment.
FJ: So the record opportunities have been there.
RW: Yes, I have, but I have just been really too busy with other things to really concentrate on it. It is about time for me to do that again. I just have not been able to do that. You can see my track record on the net, so you know what I have done. Those two pieces had a significance in that there was a musician who gave me the latitude to move the way that I moved and he liked the people that I chose. I say he, and that was Ralph Simon, who was the A&R man at Postcard at the time. I am busy with so many other things that I am not able to just jump out and make a document. As a matter of fact, Fred, I don't want to make a document under the circumstances as they are now. I would rather not document what is happening at this particular time. I would rather prepare something that is more in tune with where my head is. For example, we did the Summit Conference album. That was an idea that I had as far as presenting myself and get together with the people that are responsible for the cornerstones of this music. The other
product was a sequel to that and the next thing would be a sequel to the second. It won't be a record just because someone says, 'Let's do a record.' I'm not interested in that. I am interested in doing something significant as far as my desire and my ideals are concerned. Otherwise, I would rather do nothing at all.FJ: Compromise isn't in your nature.
RW: There may be only a few people who appreciate it, but I would rather be in the company of those few than the many who don't know what they are listening to or what you are trying to say.
Source: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=264
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Reggie Workman: Sculptured Sounds
By Terrell Kent Holmes
Bassist Reggie Workman has spent almost 50 years participating in the shaping of modern jazz, playing with groups led by Art Blakey, Cecil Taylor, Thelonious Monk, Archie Shepp and John Coltrane, using those experiences to form his own unique brand of improvising and composing. Just a few months short of 70, Workman continues to record and tour, as well as teach at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. Lately he has focused his considerable energy towards organizing the Sculptured Sounds Music Festival, a series of shows taking place on Sundays this month at Saint Peter's Church.
All About Jazz: What was the driving force behind Sculptured Sounds?
Reggie Workman: The idea for the festival grew out of an ongoing conversation with my co-founder Francina Connors about the music scene becoming more barren and fewer and fewer venues in which to perform. The reason we wanted to do this festival is because, as a musician myself... We looked around and realized that a lot of us musicians who would like to [perform] in New York end up having to go to Europe and the people here never hear what's on our minds... You have a certain number of people who are always in vogue, always up front, always before your ears and eyes. And there's a whole cadre of people who are doing creative things who never get to be heard.
AAJ: Back in the day [jazz musicians] went to Europe because European club owners and audiences were more receptive.
RW: They still are, even though the ratio is a little different. Entrepreneurs in Europe are more nationalistic now; they are hiring more of the local performers than before. With this Homeland Security Act it's more difficult to travel with your instruments. But still, even with all of those problems, it's better to have your boundaries not set at the Atlantic and the Pacific. But we don't want to come back home to ignorance, you know, where people somewhere else know more about the music and your creativity than the people right here.
“The concept was Okay, you’re not working much in New York, people think you’ve moved to Europe or you don’t exist or you’re not alive, let’s come out and be visible and while [we’re] doing it let’s bring the other people who are your compadres along with you.”
AAJ: How was the [December 10th] Preview Concert received?
RW: First let me step back a bit and say we chose Saint Peter's for the festival because of its history as a jazz ministry started by the late Rev. John Gensel. It's affectionately known as the "jazz church" and Francina has performed at Saint Peter's and has been involved with various projects at the church. Coming forward, we wanted to do a preview concert for two reasons. One is because of the calendars and schedules of the people and the venue. Another, because we need to do something [like] sticking [a] toe in the water, a feeler, to see what we had to do to make it better, to make it run smoothly. Notice [that] we put it just after Thanksgiving and just before Christmas, right in the middle so [that] it could be not [subject to] the same excuse[s] that people usually have.
You can't imagine what has to be done... In New York people have so much to choose from. It's such a big smorgasbord of art that we can't expect that we are gonna be strong enough to get everybody or the majority into that church. Therefore we want to work hard enough to let the people know that the quality is high enough that this is a place to be in February.
AAJ: What did you learn?
“The concept was 'Okay, you're not working much in New York, people think you've moved to Europe or you don't exist or you're not alive, let's come out and be visible.”
RW: Well first of all, we learned that we have to condense the performance a bit. Secondly, we learned that we have to reach out to people who ordinarily don't pick up the [Village] Voice, don't pick up the trades. We realized that things are not the same as they used to be, so our technique for reaching all those people must be a little bit different. We realize that we have to have a smooth team and plan to run it if you're expecting to bring people in. We learned that we have to get an earlier start with everything because before you know it the event is on you and you're not completely prepared. So we have to figure out how to balance our energies.
AAJ: It should be pointed out that Sculptured Sounds Music Festival isn't just about music...there's also spoken word and an art exhibit.
RW: The word is "The musicians are artists, the spoken word people are artists, the people who paint, whatever. The word is "and we know that a lot of our art comes from different directions in different formats. So we don't want to exclude anybody who is dealing with that.
AAJ: What's the format of the show?
RW: Pre-concert activities begin the space that you enter coming down the stairs, the “Living Room,� not the sanctuary. The living room will be set up with the vending tables of artists performing that night as well as other artists in the festival who have elected to vend that night. At the same time, in another section of the living room space a pre-concert lecture/ demonstration will be going on. [The Preview Concert featured an art exhibit and discussion by musician/artists Oliver Lake and Dick Griffin.] That kicks off at seven o'clock. So the people can come in, they can mill around, they can feel the atmosphere, buy some CDs if they want to, whatever the case may be. At 7:15, we open the doors to the Sanctuary and hope to start promptly at 7:30.
AAJ: On the last night [February 25th] your daughter is playing in one of the groups, so Sculptured Sounds is kind of a family thing.
RW: [The group] Sojourner is my daughter's [Nioka] project. [February] 25th is called the African-American Legacy Project, which is a concept that Charles Tolliver and I put together. That project relates to the music of great composers who have contributed to the legacy of African-American music, [and] we will be performing in big band and choir fashion. I asked Nioka to bring her group in and [bass guitarist] Matthew Garrison has [said] that he would bring his trio in. He's Jimmy Garrison's son. When we did Lincoln Center we had Roy Haynes'son [cornetist Graham] and Cal Massey's son [tenor saxophonist Zane] involved with it. So the purpose is to create some kind of a vehicle for our links to the people who will move the music to the next space and carry it forward.
Now that's in tribute to Black History Month, so we made that a free concert. We want people from Philadelphia, all around Massachusetts [to know] that it's happening... They may be willing to drive up here and be a part of it because it's going to be something special. And it's worth a couple of hours on the highway. We'll do that in such a way that we'll be finished at about 11-11:30. I asked James Browne [manager of Sweet Rhythm] to keep his club open for people who have driven that far to come down and relax. He said "Well, you know, we don't open on Sunday." So I said "Will you open on Sunday for this occasion He said he would do it. So that's another one of the things we're working toward, trying to have Sweet Rhythm open after the concert. Another thing that we have to do is get a core group down there, because whenever you have a gathering like that you need music.
AAJ: Is the Sculptured Sounds Music Festival just for this year, or, depending on the reception, would you do it again?
RW: Like you say, depending on the reception. It requires so much work. As I said, those 20-hour days... Whether or not you can continue to evolve and do that year after year, with the kind of resources we have at this point and with the kind of connections that we have in the media, depending on the response and the support that we get, will tell us whether it's a thing that we should continue with or not. From the response to the Preview Concert, I'm very optimistic. But it takes a lot out of one, so [it will depend] on how much it gives back to us.
Source: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=24456
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About Reggie Workman
Legendary Bassist, Composer And Ardent Advocate of Arts Education …
Reggie Workman has long been recognized as one of the most original and technically gifted of all bassists in modern music. His versatile style spans Post-Bop to Futuristic, incorporating contemporary approach to jazz improvisation and compositions. His uncanny ability to equally understand and share musical ideas with such diverse musicians as Art Blakey on one side and Cecil Taylor on the other is stunning. Workman has invented his own language of sound and expression as a performer and composer.
A native of Philadelphia, Workman began playing the piano, tuba, and euphonium early on but settled on bass in the mid-’50s. He quickly graduated to working regularly with Gigi Gryce (1958), Red Garland, and Roy Haynes, later joining the John Coltrane Quartet, participating on several landmark important recordings.
With extensive performing and recording credits, Workman has performed and recorded with the giants of jazz including John Coltrane, Art Blakely and the Jazz Messengers, Eric Dolphy, Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, Cecil Taylor, Jeanne Lee, Mal Waldron, Archie Shepp, Sam Rivers, Trio 3 and Great Friends as well as emerging jazz legends such as Jason Moran.
In the 1970’s, Workman established himself as a bandleader, composer, arranger and producer when he first presented his stellar group, Top Shelf. By the 1980s, Workman began expanding his musical concept, exploring more experimental approaches while incorporating dance and theater. Fellow artists in these more experimental configurations included Amiri Baraka, Jason Hwang, Genevieve Lamb, Gerry Hemingway, Marilyn Grispell, Dianne Grotke, Maya Millenovic, also formed the high-octane collective, Trio 3 (with Oliver Lake and Andrew Cyrille). Workman also began actively composing and recording his own works with Altered States (with the late Jeanne Lee) and the critically acclaimed Cerebral Caverns (collaborating with Gerry Hemingway, Julian Priester, Geri Allen, Sam Rivers, Al Foster, Tappan Modak and Elizabeth Panzer) and the 1993 Summit Conference session with Sam Rivers, the late Andrew Hill, Pheeroan aKLaaf and Julian Priester. (For a more extensive discography, see www.bb10k.com/workman.disc.html).
An ardent advocate of the arts, Workman has always been active in music outreach and education to the community. He Co-Founded the historic Collective Black Artists (CBA), and was Music Director of the famous New Muse Community Museum (Brooklyn, NY). His current community endeavors include Co-Director of The Montclair Academy of Dance & Laboratory of Music and Co-Founder (with Singer/Writer Francina Connors) and Producer of the Sculptured Sounds Music Festival, an artist-driven festival of futuristic music and concepts.
At the University level, Workman has served on the faculty at The University of Michigan, Bennington College, Long Island University. He is also proud to be associated with the establishment of the one of first African-American studies programs in the U.S. at the University of Massachusetts (UMASS.) This historic program boasted such important artist-educators as Max Roach, Yuseff Lateff, Archie Shepp, Nelson Stevens, Sonia Sanchez, as well as Aklyn Lynch, Roland Wiggins, Bill Hassan and Horace Boyer. Prominent graduates of this department are Bill Cosby, Jimmy Owens, Cannonball Adderley and Dr. Billy Taylor.
Presently, Workman is an Associate Professor at New York’s famed The New School (Jazz and Contemporary Music Department) where, in 2007, he celebrated his twentieth-year and was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award.
Workman’s other awards and recognitions include Meet the Composer, MidAtlantic Arts, the Eubie Blake Award and Living Legend Award from the Philadelphia African-American Historical and Cultural Museum, in recognition of his international performances and recordings.
Today, Workman continues his arts advocacy, teaching, developing new music arts curriculums and workshops, managing a steady tour schedule as a guest artist and with Trio 3 as well as presenting various Reggie Workman ensembles under the umbrella of his production company, Sculptured Sounds, in the United States and internationally.
Source: www.sculpturedsounds.com/www.myspace.com/reggieworkman
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Biography by Scott Yanow & Joslyn Layne
Reggie Workman has long been one of the most technically gifted of all bassists, a brilliant player whose versatile style fits into both hard bop and very avant-garde settings. He played piano, tuba, and euphonium early on but settled on bass in the mid-'50s. After working regularly with Gigi Gryce (1958), Red Garland, and Roy Haynes, he was a member of the John Coltrane Quartet for much of 1961, participating in several important recordings and even appearing with Coltrane and Eric Dolphy on a half-hour West German television show that is currently available on video (The Coltrane Legacy). After Jimmy Garrison took his place with Coltrane, Workman became a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1962-1964) and was in the groups of Yusef Lateef (1964-65), Herbie Mann, and Thelonious Monk (1967). He recorded frequently in the 1960s (including many Blue Note dates and Archie Shepp's classic Four for Trane).
Since that time, Workman has been both an educator (serving on the faculty of music schools including the University of Michigan) and a working musician, and has played with numerous legendary jazz musicians including Max Roach, Art Farmer, Mal Waldron, David Murray, Sam Rivers, and Andrew Hill (Rivers and Hill joined Workman for the 1993 session, Summit Conference). In the 1980s, Workman began leading his own group, the Reggie Workman Ensemble. He also began a collaboration with pianist Marilyn Crispell that lasted into the next decade (the two acclaimed musicians reunited for a festival performance in 2000). During the '90s, Workman was not only active with his own ensemble, but also in Trio Three, with Andrew Cyrille and Oliver Lake, and Reggie Workman's Grooveship and Extravaganza.
In recognition of Reggie Workman's international performances and recordings spanning over 40 years, he was named a Living Legend by the African-American Historical and Cultural Museum in his hometown of Philadelphia; he is also a recipient of the Eubie Blake Award.
Source: All Music Group
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Selected Discography
Reggie Workman, Summit Conference (Postcards, 1993)
Fortune/Harper/Cowell/Workman/Hart, Great Friends (Black & Blue-Evidence, 1986)
Alice Coltrane, Transfiguration (Warner Brothers-Sepia Tone, 1978)
Wayne Shorter, Adam's Apple (Blue Note, 1966)
John Coltrane, The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings (Impulse!-GRP, 1961)
Discography
As leader
Synthesis (1986)
Summit Conference (1993)
Cerebral Caverns (1995)
Images: The Reggie Workman Ensemble in Concert (1999)
Altered Spaces (2000)
As sideman
With John Coltrane
Africa/Brass (1961)
Ole Coltrane (1961)
Impressions (1963)
With Bobby Hutcherson
Medina (1968)
Patterns (1968)
With Wayne Shorter
Night Dreamer (1964)
JuJu (1964) Readmore...
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