Jimmy Garrison
b. 3 March 1934, Miami, Florida, USA, d. 7 April 1976. Garrison began playing bass in Philadelphia, where he grew up, moving to New York in the late '50s with Philly Joe Jones. By 1961 he was deeply involved with the free jazz movement, and played with Ornette Coleman at New York's Five Spot. John Coltrane sitting in with the group, was so impressed by Garrison that he invited the bassist to join his own quartet, so beginning a five-year association in which Garrison proved ‘the pivot’ (to quote McCoy Tyner) of the pre-eminent modern jazz group of the era, thanks to his dynamic and forceful musical personality. In 1963 he took time out to co-lead a sextet session, ILLUMINATION, with his Coltrane rhythm-section partner, Elvin Jones. After leaving Coltrane in 1966 he led his own group, played with the bands of Hampton Hawes, Archie Shepp and Elvin Jones and recorded again with Ornette Coleman, 1968s NEW YORK IS NOW! and LOVE CALL supplementing a previous vinyl meeting on ORNETTE ON TENOR (1962). Despite his career-long involvement with the avant garde, Garrison retained a traditional view of the role the bass should have in jazz; and although a gifted soloist, he chose to concentrate upon his instrument's rhythmic function, seeing that as the foundation of good group jazz. In the '70s Garrison taught, played with Alice Coltrane and also returned for a further spell with Elvin Jones but was troubled with ill-health. He died of lung cancer in April 1976.