Electric bassist and producer
Matthew Garrison is the son of bassist
Jimmy Garrison. Since the early '90s, he has recorded and toured with a wide range of top-flight musicians including
Ornette Coleman,
Herbie Hancock,
John Scofield,
Joni Mitchell,
Meshell Ndegeocello, and
the World Saxophone Quartet, to name a scant few. He has also led his own bands since 2000, and has self-released a handful of recordings.
Though born in New York,
Garrison spent much of his childhood in Italy. In 1988 he went to live with his godfather, drummer/composer/pianist
Jack DeJohnette. He won a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music the following year, and began woodshedding at city gigs. He moved back to New York in 1994. His musical diversity and adaptability made him an in-demand sideman. His playing on
Joe Zawinul's My People album in 1996 won him a host of admirers and critical accolades -- as well as a lot more work.
Garrison made his debut as a leader with a self-titled offering on his own Garrison Jazz Productions label. He enlisted guitarists
David Gilmore and
Adam Rogers, keyboardist
Scott Kinsey, and percussionist Arto Tuncboyacian, in addition to many other singers and instrumentalists. Critics not only found favor with his playing and composing, but his careful, multi-layered production as well. That same year he made his first recorded appearance with
John McLaughlin on Heart of Things: Live in Paris and joined the guitarist's regular band. In between his live appearances he guested on
Dennis Chambers'
Outbreak (2002) and
Hancock's Future 2 Future Live (2002).
In 2004
Garrison released Matthew Garrison Live and the acclaimed Shapeshifter. He also joined the
Revolution Void collective, cut an album with them, and played on recordings by
Wallace Roney,
the WSQ,
Spiros Exaras World-Jazz Ensemble, and
Yoshiko Kishino. The following year he took part in the landmark
Meshell Nedegeocello Presents the Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel sessions. His appearance on
McLaughlin's
Industrial Zen recording in 2006 won rave reviews from the jazz media. The following year his dates included an appearance on
Chico Hamilton's
Hamiltonia; he also co-led the session Improvision with
Alex Machacek and
Jeff Sipe.
Garrison released the completely solo
Shapeshifter Live 2010, Pt. 1, captured in a single uninterrupted take. It was recorded at Shapeshifter Lab, the multimedia studio and performance space that he co-founded with Fortuna Sung. The venue has been an active live performance venue since its inception. That same year he toured with
Whitney Houston during her global Nothing But Love tour. His own 12 Months followed in 2013. In 2015,
Garrison and saxophonist
Ravi Coltrane began playing in a formal trio with
DeJohnette. Their debut recording,
In Movement, was released by
ECM in 2016. ~ Thom Jurek