Electric bassist and producer Matthew Garrison descends from the esteemed bassist Jimmy Garrison. Beginning in the early 1990s he has performed and recorded extensively alongside elite artists such as Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Joni Mitchell, Meshell Ndegeocello, and the World Saxophone Quartet. Since 2000 he has also fronted his own ensembles and issued several self-released projects.
Although born in New York, Garrison passed much of his youth in Italy. In 1988 he relocated to the home of his godfather, the drummer, composer, and pianist Jack DeJohnette. The next year he received a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music and started refining his craft through local performances. He returned to New York in 1994, where his stylistic breadth and versatility quickly established him as a sought-after accompanist. His contributions to Joe Zawinul’s 1996 album My People earned widespread praise and opened further professional opportunities.
He introduced himself as a bandleader with a self-titled debut on his Garrison Jazz Productions imprint, assembling guitarists David Gilmore and Adam Rogers, keyboardist Scott Kinsey, percussionist Arto Tuncboyacian, and additional vocalists and instrumentalists. Reviewers commended both his instrumental and compositional work as well as his intricate, layered production approach. That same year he made his initial recorded appearance with John McLaughlin on Heart of Things: Live in Paris and became a regular member of the guitarist’s group. Between touring commitments he also appeared on Dennis Chambers’ Outbreak (2002) and Hancock’s Future 2 Future Live (2002).
In 2004 Garrison issued Matthew Garrison Live together with the widely praised Shapeshifter. He further affiliated with the Revolution Void collective, recorded an album with the group, and contributed to sessions by Wallace Roney, the WSQ, Spiros Exaras World-Jazz Ensemble, and Yoshiko Kishino. The following year he participated in the landmark Meshell Ndegeocello Presents the Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel dates. His presence on McLaughlin’s Industrial Zen in 2006 drew enthusiastic notices from jazz critics. In 2007 his schedule included work on Chico Hamilton’s Hamiltonia; he also co-led the Improvision session with Alex Machacek and Jeff Sipe.
Garrison next delivered the wholly solo Shapeshifter Live 2010, Pt. 1, captured in one continuous performance. The recording took place at Shapeshifter Lab, the multimedia studio and performance venue he established with Fortuna Sung. The space has hosted regular live events since opening. That year he also joined Whitney Houston on her worldwide Nothing But Love tour. His own 12 Months appeared in 2013. In 2015 Garrison and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane formed a trio with DeJohnette; their first recording, In Movement, came out on ECM in 2016.
