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Garrison Fewell

I keep hearing something else beyond ...

About Me

Guitarist Garrison Fewell has established himself as a distinctive voice throughout his 30-year career. Critics have called him "one of today’s most personal guitar players" (Boston Phoenix), "an assured stylist with a strong sense of tradition" (The New Yorker), "a player of virtuosity and swinging intensity" (UPI), and "refined, passionate, and inspiring" (Guitar Player). His diverse discography as a leader for labels such as Soul Note, Koch, Accurate, Splasc(H) and Boxholder counts multiple titles ranked on best of the year lists in publications like Coda, Guitar Player, Musica Jazz, the Boston Music Award for Best Jazz Album, and his hometown Philadelphia Inquirer. Prominent sidemen on his recordings include saxophonist John Tchicai, pianists Fred Hersch, Jim McNeely and George Cables, bassists Cecil McBee and Steve LaSpina, and drummers Billy Hart and Matt Wilson. ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Garrison has performed throughout the world in many unusual places. A mideast tour in 1973 took him through Israel, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He learned Dari, lived in Herat and worked as a disc jockey in Kabul. Performing with Afghan musicians added a unique sound to Garrison's music once he became a jazz musician.Garrison has appeared with his own ensembles at NYC's Blue Note and Birdland Jazz Clubs, toured in the US, South America, Africa, Caribbean, Canada and Europe, playing at festivals such as Montreux, North Sea, Umbria, Clusone, Veneto Jazz, Copenhagen, Krakow, Budapest, Quebec, Cape Verde, Africa, and Asuncion, Paraguay. He has performed with John Tchicai, Billy Harper, Khan Jamal, Roy Campbell, Cecil Bridgewater, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, Jay Clayton, Zbigniew Namyslowski, Herbie Hancock, Fred Hersch, Cameron Brown, Billy Hart, Tal Farlow, Larry Coryell, Benny Golson, Hal Galper, George Cables, Cecil McBee, Buster Williams, Miroslav Vitous, Steve LaSpina, Harvie Swartz, Michael Formanek, Tim Hagans, Jimmy Owens, Dusko Goykovich, Peter King, Steve Grossman, and Slide Hampton. ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ An international jazz educator, Garrison has been a Professor of Guitar and Ear Training at Boston’s Berklee College of Music since 1977 and has given clinics at most major music schools and conservatories throughout Europe, the IAJE workshops for the Montreux Jazz Festival, and NYC’s New School Workshop at the Veneto Jazz Festival, Italy. For many years he taught harmony and guitar for the Polish Jazz Society and since 2004 teaches at the Sant Anna Arresi Jazz Festival in Sardegna with William Parker, Anthony Braxton, Umberto Petrin, Muhal Richard Abrahms, Rob Brown, Anthony Cyrille and Roscoe Mitchell. Garrison has authored three textbooks, his latest for Berklee Press titled “Jazz Improvisation for Guitar – A Melodic Approach”, and is a lesson contributor to Guitar Player, Guitar Club, Axe and Chitarre magazines. Garrison is the recipient of music grants from The National Endowment for the Arts, Pew Charitable Trust, USIA, and Arts Link and Meet the Composer. ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯Together with with saxophonists John Tchicai and Charlie Kohlhase, Garrison co-led a quintet for a week at NYC’s Birdland Jazz Club featuring bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Billy Hart, where they recorded a live CD to be released on the Boxholder label.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 6/27/2007
Band Website: garrisonfewell.com
Band Members: Garrison Fewell - Eric Hofbauer Guitar Duo. You can hear the title track from our forthcoming release on this web page: The Lady of Khartoum (our musical prayer for peace in Darfur). This music, and most of our work together, features improvised guitar and simultaneously live (no overdubs) percussion, exotic bells, nomadic Afghan jewelry, prepared guitar, Afican sticks, and other common household or office objects. ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ John Tchicai / Charlie Kohlhase / Garrison Fewell Trio: Ramana Maharshi is a Tchicai original from the trio CD, Good Night Songs (a live 2-CD set on Boxholder).Tribal Ghost: another original from our recording at Birdland Jazz Club in Feb. 2007. The quintet adds Cecil McBee on bass and Billy Hart on drums. ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ The Variable Density Sound Orchestra. Spectronomus is the first track from this recording of a new group I launched in January 2008, featuring Roy Campbell Jr. on trumpet, flugelhorn and flute, Achille Succi, bs clarinet and alto, Eric Hofbauer, guitar and percussion, John Voigt, bass, Miki Matsuki, drums, and myself on guitar, prepared guitar, percussion and fisherman's bow. ____________________________________________________________ ____________ Garrison Fewell Quartet: Hearing Things is the first track from our CD, Red Door Number 11 on the Italian Splasc(H) label. It's available on cdbaby.com and features pianist George Cables, Attilio Zanchi, bass, Gianni Cazzola, drums. ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ One Long Minute is a tune by drummer Ches Smith. While playing several dates in NYC, we recorded this new collective quintet w/ myself on guitar, percussion and bow, John Tchicai, tenor, Alex Weiss, alto (and producer), Dmitry Ishenko, bass and Ches Smith on drums. ____________________________________________________________ _____________ Garrison Fewell / Khan Jamal / Cameron Brown Trio. This highly improvised trio of guitar, vibes and bass, exists in the realm of varied possibilities. Having perfomed an evening fully charged with positive ions at the Regattabar in Boston, we await another venue to transport us once again into the universe of parallel poly-tonalities. No Tracks here, but bootlegs for fortunate fans w/ cosmic connections. ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Garrison Fewell / Umberto Petrin / Achille Succi Trio. Another rare combination of intergalactic talents, Umberto currently records on ECM and Achille needs a gps device to locate his gigs at any given moment. Marvelous rapport with an unusual instrumental aura.
Influences: Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Sun Ra, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Charles Tyler, Derek Bailey, Jim Hall, Lenny Breau, Kenny Burrell, Jimmy Rainey, Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mithchell, Muhal Richard Abrams, J.S. Bach, Karol Szymanowski, Krzysztof Komeda, John Coltrane, Bud Powell, Mississippi Fred McDowell, John Hurt, Rev. Gary Davis, Charlie Christian, Bill Evans, Horace Silver, Afghan classical music, Bismillah Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, Claude Debussy, John Tchicai, Johnny Dyani.
Sounds Like: from cosmic chaos to peaceful harmony
Record Label: Soul Note, Koch, Splasc(H), Boxholder, CNM
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

ice melting

wow, it's really hot here in northern Italy. no a/c... sitting in front of the fan with nothing but a chilled glass of white wine to cool me off, but at least there's plenty of that. years ago, it nev...
Posted by Garrison Fewell on Sat, 09 Aug 2008 05:52:00 PST

No Two Songs Tell the Same Story

Sun Ra, in the film a Joyful Noise, talking about history in the Egyptian museum at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (my home town). Speaking in front of the Sphinx surrounded by an E...
Posted by Garrison Fewell on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 05:55:00 PST

Opening of the Eyes

"Philosophy is what powers our struggle to be victorious in life."From the beginning of "Lectures on The Opening of the Eyes" by Daisauku Ikeda on the writings of Nichiren Daishonin, this sentence con...
Posted by Garrison Fewell on Sun, 29 Jun 2008 05:38:00 PST

The Lady of Khartoum

More than a few good friends, and some new ones I've met along the way, have asked me about the "meaning" behind the new duo recording, "The Lady of Khartoum". Improvisation doesn't really require mea...
Posted by Garrison Fewell on Sat, 14 Jun 2008 05:50:00 PST

The Final Nite

Improvisation and Poetry: If you've been part of the improvised music scene in NY, you've most likely encountered poet Steve Dalachinsky who has a remarkable ability to spin words as an improviser thr...
Posted by Garrison Fewell on Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:16:00 PST

The Music of Africa: J.H. Kwabena Nketia

I'm trying to figure out how to play my Balafon, well, I'm improvising and I find things sometimes, but it's not an organized approach, so it's a fortunate accident that in my favorite used book store...
Posted by Garrison Fewell on Wed, 19 Dec 2007 09:20:00 PST

Reading: Jazz Visions - Lennie Tristano

Jazz Visions: Lennie Tristano and his LegacyA good friend of mine surprised me when he wrote to ask if I had read this book about Lennie, written by long time collaborator and friend, bassist Peter In...
Posted by Garrison Fewell on Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:07:00 PST

The Origin of Sound Unity

"All music, based upon melody and rhythm, is the earthly representative of heavenly music." - Plotinous, Hellenistic philosopher. Ancient sites throughout the world were dedicated to following the mov...
Posted by Garrison Fewell on Sat, 04 Aug 2007 03:26:00 PST

Differences and Tolerance: Sun Ra from a Buddhist perspective

The subject today is Differences and Tolerance with reference to the poetry of Sun Ra from a Buddhist perspective. I will begin by citing Sun Ra's poem, "Differences" and conclude by quoting from aut...
Posted by Garrison Fewell on Sat, 04 Aug 2007 05:33:00 PST

Jazz By Sun Ra -comments by Ra about his own music

It can be especially enlightening to read what Sun Ra thought about his own music. The following are excerpts from the liner notes of the 1957 lp, "Jazz By Sun Ra" on the Transition label, later reiss...
Posted by Garrison Fewell on Fri, 03 Aug 2007 03:56:00 PST