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Some Love For Jimmy Garrison


JSngry

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My negative impressions of Carter are musical (at least my preferences). My negative impressions of Garrison were formed by his brother-in-law (a friend from the '70s).

OTOH, I have witnessed Carter being a complete ass on a couple of instances and Jimmy always seemed "docile".

If you enjoy something/someone, go ahead and do not pick scabs.

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I like The Real McCoy--and Ron's hookup with Elvin is unimpeachable insofar as it operates under its own premises (just like the Elvin hookup with Richard Davis, for example--there's nothing else like it). I do like Jimmy/Elvin "better," honestly--or, rather, it's a different thing that just gets me deeper (both feel wise and emotionally). A/Bing the version(s) of Chasing the Trane with Workman and Garrison, for example, convey just what Jimmy brought to that band--Workman is a great player, but his uptempo playing (at that time, at least) comes across as a lot more slippery, a lot less rhythmically "direct" than Jimmy's.

To be fair to the "other guys", Jimmy and Elvin played together for 4 years.

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I'm another big fan of Garrison. Interestingly, Larry Grenadier cites him as a major model. I could see that when I had a chance to see the Mehldau trio up close in a small club. Grenadier was strong as a bull, totally leading the rhythmic drive of those arrangements. It was very Garrison-like. Not something I'd picked up on listening to the CDs.

For a chance to hear Garrison quite clearly, in all his swinging authority, check out Benny Carter's "Further Definitions."

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Garrison was in the UK with Archie Shepp back in the sixties. The sets opened with a Garrison bass solo, absolutely astonishing.

I remember Ed Dipple telling me about seeing that group at Club 43 in Manchester. IIRC Roswell Rudd was with them.

That's the one Bill, plus Grachan Moncur and Beaver Harris.

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I'm another big fan of Garrison. Interestingly, Larry Grenadier cites him as a major model. I could see that when I had a chance to see the Mehldau trio up close in a small club. Grenadier was strong as a bull, totally leading the rhythmic drive of those arrangements. It was very Garrison-like. Not something I'd picked up on listening to the CDs.

For a chance to hear Garrison quite clearly, in all his swinging authority, check out Benny Carter's "Further Definitions."

Absolutely interesting point made about Grenadier and I agree. He's always been really rock solid as a bassist, and I saw him live with Pat Metheny and Jack DeJohnette where his drive was really strong on inside or outside. IMO with all of the bassists Pat has used he's next to Steve Rodby in terms of that rock solid quality, they have such a natural hookup.

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Garrison was in the UK with Archie Shepp back in the sixties. The sets opened with a Garrison bass solo, absolutely astonishing.

I remember Ed Dipple telling me about seeing that group at Club 43 in Manchester. IIRC Roswell Rudd was with them.

That's the one Bill, plus Grachan Moncur and Beaver Harris.

So sorry I missed them. I didn't turn out on that occasion. :(

Must have been round about the time of this album:

41TGFS69MRL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

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Garrison was in the UK with Archie Shepp back in the sixties. The sets opened with a Garrison bass solo, absolutely astonishing.

I remember Ed Dipple telling me about seeing that group at Club 43 in Manchester. IIRC Roswell Rudd was with them.

That's the one Bill, plus Grachan Moncur and Beaver Harris.

So sorry I missed them. I didn't turn out on that occasion. :(

Must have been round about the time of this album:

41TGFS69MRL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

They toured Europe the following year, in 1967. You can hear that group on Life At The Donaueschingen Music Festival, which opens with a great Garrison solo.

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And the opposite would be true as well...the more solid the bassist, the freer the drummer can be.

Yes, perhaps I should have written: "Garrison's entire career, with Trane and otherwise, seems to be characterized by this specific kind of bass - drums symbiosis."

Isn't Paul Motian the drummer on those Scott -- and Konitz / Marsh Half Note '59 -- performances?

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I love bass, one of my favorite instruments in improvised music. But Garrison's approach is just not interesting for me. His bass sounds essentially like some sort of African percussion, balafon or something. Short sounds, pulsating... sort of groovy. Very repetitive, very boring. I can't stand his solos - not only do I find them unimaginative, but they also all sound very similar to each other. And I actually love bass solos, have probably at least 20 CDs of solo improvised bass... I think his approach worked OK in Coltrane's "classic" quartet as supplement to Elvin, but was too square for the band with Ali.

Garrison is actually very similar in style to William Parker, one bassist whose playing I really can't tolerate.

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