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Joy is my middle name. I am the middle child of the five children of Jimmy Garrison, the bassist of the John Coltrane Quartet. My beautiful mother, Robbie W. Garrison, was his first wife.
His second wife, Roberta Escamilla Garrison, is one of my very best friends. How's that for "All In The Family ".
I'm the Singer /Lyricist, of the five, our sister Maia Claire Garrison is the Dancer / Choreographer, and our brother Matthew Justin Garrison
is the Musician / Composer (the electric bass). There's a professional homemaker, and we have a sister in heaven.
I was born back in the "1900's" in Philadelphia Penna. on the 24th of January. I was a little "Turtle Dove" when we came to New York. Turtle Dove is a name I have for children under the age of six.
I've got better-suited names as they grow older. I think we all have pretty special names for our "teenager's", don't we?
I've actually got about twelve for my 14 year old, but let's leave that one alone for now!
I grew up in New York, "The Big Apple", Queens to be exact, but just to be specific, Flushing Kew Garden Hills.
Some of the best years of my life! Even today I find myself in conversations with my older sister Robin, dad's
first daughter (the home maker), of our adventure's back then..."totally cool".
Just the other day my 14 year old asked me if I had a happy childhood, I instantly shouted "Yes indeed! "
I had the grandparents of life, "two Grandfathers and two Grand Grandmothers", I got lucky. I still don't know today
where they got their strength, energy and gumption, to have had what they had back then. It's amazing!
Apart from all the above, the real reason for my happy childhood is because of the "Queen Mother", Robbie W. (Mommy) Garrison.
A single mother of three girls, and absolutely "NO ALIMONY". They say that she did a pretty good job... I'm inclined to agree with that.
She and the good Lord are "True Buds ".
I became interested in music when I was 16. I had to choose an instrument for music class and mom said, which she hardly ever said,
"ask your father", so I did. He said try the clarinet ... B O R I N G !. That lasted way to long, but I got through the year.
That's when the singing kicked in. Choirs, Glee Clubs, Talent Shows, bands bands bands, rehearsals rehearsals rehearsals,
and very few gigs. Growing up and listening a lot and NOT listening a lot, and making enough mistakes to learn from, around twenty something
I sort of got it! Time decided to continue to pass ... and pass... and then I really got it! "HEY WORLD HERE I AM!"
I performed in various clubs in New York and was invited to perform in Europe during those struggling moments, but I just wasn't
ready to do that kind of traveling yet.
Finally, in October of 1982 I accepted the invitation. I was invited to Rome and performed four very interesting
jazz concerts with the "legendary" Tony Scott. It was "definitely" a new adventure for me.
I am a Jazz/Stylist/Lyricist. I now live and perform mostly in Europe, and my home is in Rome , Italy.
Ive had the pleasure of sharing the stage with many incredible musicians, European and American, in places like:
SAUDI ARABIA, RUSSIA, TUNISIA, TURKEY, SWEDEN, FRANCE, ITALY AND AMERICA, just to name a few.
These are some of the incredible artists I've had the pleasure of working with, American and European,
HANK JONES, TONY SCOTT, JOHN SCOFIELD, CAMERON BROWN, BILLY HEART, TONY MANN, DAVE LYNANE,
BARNEY KESSEL, CARMEN McRAE, STEVE ELLINGTON, FREDDIE HUBBARD, RONNIE MATTHEWS, DANILO REA,
BILLY PRESTON, JOSE CARRERAS, GLORIA ESTEBAN, STEVE GROSSMAN, KEVIN EUBANKS, RICCARDO BISEO,
GIOVANNI TOMMASO, STEFANO Di BATTISTA, MARCELLO ROSA, ROBERTO GATTO, ROMANO MUSSOLINI and so many, many, more.
