greg garrett

A native of Portland, Oregon and now located in Vancouver Washington, Greg Garrett is a musician in many different stylistic worlds. Garrett’s accomplishments started out in the A2 Bee-Bop Quintet with David Swaim in Ann Arbor Mi., playing jazz standards and other oddities that came up over the course of a night. On the classical side, playing difficult duets and trying to keep up with his brother Roger Garrett, an accomplished classical clarinetist who could play virtually anything was a challange. There were also local jam sessions when gigs weren’t happening, and sit in’s with Tim Ries, Bill Lucas and Fastracks that helped him move in the right direction, as well as learning from Louis Smith in the big band. He relocated to Akron Ohio in the mid 80’s and started playing in top 40 bands and The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and eventually, Dick Johnston and the Artie Shaw Orchestra based in Boston, one of the only non-“ghost” big bands still going. While on the road, he relocated his homebase to Oregon in early 1990. After his last tour in the Florida Keys he tried to lay low in Portland and get a conventional job, but that lasted about one week when he got called to sub and it turned into a lot more gigs. Ever since then, he's been performing and recording. Locally, he's had long stints with The Duffy Bishop Band, Soul Vaccination, Body and Soul, Art Abrams' Swing Machine, Lily Wilde, and the Patrick Lamb Band. And like everyone else on the planet----he's also played with the likes of Lynard Skynard, The O’Jays, Diane Shure, The Moody Blues, The Temptations, Diane Reeves, and Mannheim Steamroller. Currently, he can be heard playing regularly with Patrick Lamb, Pete Petersen and The Porkpie Septet, Ellen Whyte Band w/TheHorns, Rob Scheps Group, the Columbia Brass, The Oregon Symphony, and The Chris Baum Project amongst others.Since being back in the NW he's appeared multiple x's in many of the festivals in Oregon and Washington, and around the country including Bumpershoot, Kerrville Folk Festival, Mt Hood Festival of Jazz, Mt Hood Jazz Festival, Jazz in the Valley, Wine By the River, Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, Allstate Smooth Jazz Summer Concert, and the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival.As he states, "I’m a sideman, not a bandleader. That could change in the next year, but I’m content playing everyone else’s music and remaining the unknown horn player who many musicians know, unknown by everyone else. Mostly as a sideman you get whatever comes your way, forcing you to take the terrible sucky gigs as well as the good ones you never forget. You gotta eat. Da man calls for da rent, you make da money any way you can.".............Well..............there you have it.--------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------Selected Discography: Karlheinz Stockhausen: SAMSTAG AUS LICHT(1984 Deutsche Grammophon Records) Art Abrams' Swing Machine Big Band: Art Attack(2000 AYA Records) Linda Hornbuckle w/NoDELAY: Soul Diva Meets The Blues Monsters(1994 Criminal Records) Paul Delay Band: Nice & Strong (1998 Evidence Records) Ellen Whyte: Here & Gone (1998 Amallegory Productions, Inc) The Duffy Bishop Band: Fly the Rocket(1999 Burnside Records) Pete Petersen & Porkpie: Hats Off (2004, Four Flavors Music) Pete Petersen and the Porkpie Septet: Keep Your Hat On (2008, Pony Boy Records) Ellen Whyte: Four Way Stop (Upcoming: 2008 release date TBA) Rob Scheps Big Band: Unnamed as of yet (Upcoming: 2009 release date TBA) Ezra Weiss: Alice in Wonderland Soundtrack(unreleased : 2009 release date) The Soul Cats: SHO U RIGHT(2008 Independent) and... A few others I won't mention, as they aren't something anyone should ever be proud of----------ever!!!!