Jimmy Garrison


James Emory Garrison was an American jazz double bassist. He is best remembered for his association with John Coltrane from 1961 to 1967.

Career

Garrison was raised in both Miami, Florida and Philadelphia where he learned to play bass. Garrison came of age in the 1950s Philadelphia jazz scene, which included fellow bassists Reggie Workman and Henry Grimes, pianist McCoy Tyner and trumpeter Lee Morgan. Between 1957 and 1962, Garrison played and recorded with trumpeter Kenny Dorham; clarinetist Tony Scott; drummer Philly Joe Jones; and saxophonists Bill Barron, Lee Konitz, and Jackie McLean, as well as Curtis Fuller, Benny Golson, Lennie Tristano, and Pharoah Sanders, among others. In 1961, he recorded with Ornette Coleman, appearing on Coleman's albums Ornette on Tenor and The Art of the Improvisors. He also worked with Walter Bishop, Jr. and Cal Massey during the early years of his career.
He formally joined Coltrane's quartet in 1962, replacing Workman. The long trio blues "Chasin' the Trane" is one of his first recorded performances with Coltrane and Elvin Jones. Garrison performed on many Coltrane recordings, including A Love Supreme. In concert with Coltrane, Garrison would often play unaccompanied improvised solos, sometimes as song introductions prior to the other musicians joining in. After John Coltrane's death, Garrison worked and recorded with Alice Coltrane, Hampton Hawes, Archie Shepp, Clifford Thornton and groups led by Elvin Jones.
Garrison also worked with Ornette Coleman during the 1960s, first recording with him in 1961 on Ornette on Tenor. He and Elvin Jones recorded with Coleman in 1968, and have been credited with eliciting more forceful playing than usual from Coleman on the albums New York Is Now! and Love Call.
In 1971 and 1972, Garrison taught as a Visiting Artist at Wesleyan University and Bennington College.

Personal life

Jimmy Garrison had four daughters and a son. With his first wife Robbie he had three daughters, and with his second wife, dancer and choreographer Roberta Escamilla Garrison, he had two children, including jazz bassist Matt Garrison.
Jimmy Garrison died of lung cancer on April 7, 1976.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Jimmy Garrison among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Discography

As leader

With Lorez Alexandria
With Bill Barron
With Walter Bishop Jr.
With Benny Carter
With Ornette Coleman
With Alice Coltrane
With John Coltrane
With Ted Curson
  • Plenty of Horn
With Nathan Davis
  • Rules of Freedom
With Bill Dixon
  • Intents and Purposes
With Kenny Dorham
  • Jazz Contemporary
  • Show Boat
With Curtis Fuller
  • Blues-ette
  • Imagination
  • Images of Curtis Fuller
  • The Magnificent Trombone of Curtis Fuller
With Beaver Harris
  • From Ragtime to No Time
With Elvin Jones
  • Puttin' It Together
  • The Ultimate
With Philly Joe Jones
With Lee Konitz
  • Live at the Half Note
With Rolf Kühn and Joachim Kühn
  • Impressions of New York
With Cal Massey
  • Blues to Coltrane
With Jackie McLean
With J. R. Monterose
With Robert Pozar
With Sonny Rollins
With Tony Scott
With Archie Shepp
With Clifford Thornton
With McCoy Tyner