Arv Garrison (1922-60) was a superb guitarist, swinging and inventive, who understood how the melodic and rhythmic inventions of Django Reinhardt and others could be expanded into "the new thing” of Forties bebop. ================================= Arv Garrison is relatively unknown today. His professional recording career spanned three years after the end of WWII. A majority of that legacy was with the Vivien Garry Trio. The Trio’s first recordings for Guild and Sarco demonstrated Arv’s phenomenal mastery of the electric guitar. He was on several Dial sessions led by Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Howard McGhee, but his presence on these recordings is sparse due to the short duration of 78 singles.
Vivien and Arv were on sessions for Signature and Exclusive where they were part of the ensembles backing Leo Watson and Rickey Jordan respectively. Arv plays rhythm backup with occasional solo breaks on these vocalist sessions where his ability to adapt and swing in different musical settings demonstrated his versatility. Arv was hired by Earle Spencer to compose a piece for his orchestra featuring five harmonized guitars. "Five Guitars in Flight” on Black & White 822 remained Arv’s proudest achievement of his recording career.
His most accomplished performances were recorded for the Armed Forces Radio Service on "Jubilee” and "Magic Carpet” transcriptions that were heard by service personnel around the world, but not in the U.S. Likewise, the air checks included in this set were broadcasts on Los Angeles and New York City radio stations but not recorded for commercial release.
Arv Garrison suffered from epilepsy. He was able to perform despite the occasional seizures that his trio mates noticed during their time in California. The seizures became more frequent and pronounced when the Vivien Garry Trio returned to New York.
Arv’s earlier playing had displayed his exceptional gift to communicate commands requiring milliseconds from his brain to his fingers. Epilepsy robbed that facility. Arv’s peers like his close friend, Irving Ashby, continued their performance and recording careers, the essential elements to creating and sustaining an awareness in the minds of jazz fans. His sparse outings on record failed to establish that same recognition. His name disappeared from the jazz polls. Arv Garrison remains mostly unknown among today’s jazz public. — James A. Harrod
Tracks:
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CD 1
01. Altitude (Ashby-Hampton) 3:13
02. Relax Jack (Garrison-Garry) 2:38
03. Hopscotch (Arv Garrison) 2:27
04. Where You At? (Handy-Segal) 2:44
05. I Surrender Dear (Clifford-Barris) 2:37
06. I've Got To, That’s All (Garrison-Garry) 2:41
07. Tonsilectomy (Handy-McKusick) 2:47
08. These Foolish Things (Marvell-Strachey-Link) 2:43
09. Diggin' Diz (George Handy) 2:50
10. Where You At? (Handy-Segal) 3:02
11. Moose the Mooche [Take 2] (Charlie Parker) 3:03
12. Yardbird Suite [Take 1] (Charlie Parker) 2:37
13. Yardbird Suite [Take 4] (Charlie Parker) 2:54
14. Ornithology [Take 1] (Charlie Parker) 2:57
15. Ornithology [Take 3] (Charlie Parker) 3:17
16. Ornithology [Take 4] (Charlie Parker) 2:59
17. A Night in Tunisia [Take 4] (Gillespie-Paparelli) 3:02
18. A Night in Tunisia [Take 5] (Gillespie-Paparelli) 3:04
19. Mop Mop (Leonard Feather) 2:27
20. How Deep is the Ocean (Irving Berlin) 2:45
21. It Only Happens Once (Frankie Laine) 3:47
22. It Ain't Gonna Be Like That (Laine-Torme) 2:12
CD 2
01. Where You At? (Handy-Segal) 2:16
02. Baby, I'm Gone (Callender-Enois) 3:18
03. Fred Shields Introduction 0:46
04. How High the Moon (Hamilton-Lewis) 2:42
05. Rip Van Winkle (Handy-Levinson-Leeds) 2:59
06. Jingle Bells (James Lord Pierpont) 2:39
07. Snake Pit (Leo Watson) 2:47
08. Tight and Gay (Leo Watson) 2:50
09. Sonny Boy (DeSylva-Brown-Henderson-Jolson) 2:59
10. Ernest "Bubbles” Whitman Introduction 0:29
11. Medley: 10:47
—Cherokee (Ray Noble)
—I Got Rhythm (Gershwin-Gershwin)
—How High the Moon (Hamilton-Lewis)
—Honeysuckle Rose (Razaf-Waller)
12. Dialated Pupils [Take 4] (Howard McGhee) 2:30
13. Dialated Pupils [Take 5] (Howard McGhee) 2:55
14. Midnight at Minton’s (Howard McGhee) 2:58
15. Up in Dodo's Room [Take 1] (Howard McGhee) 3:11
16. Up in Dodo's Room [Take 2] (Howard McGhee) 3:13
17. High Wind in Hollywood (Howard McGhee) 2:36
18. Five Guitars in Flight (Arv Garrison) 2:40
19. A.B.C. Blues (Rickey Jordan) 2:42
20. Blues in the Storm (Leonard Feather) 2:58
21. Rickey's Blues (Rickey Jordan) 2:57
22. Night and Day (Cole Porter) 2:35
23. Stormy Weather (Koehler-Arlen) 2:27
24. Drop Dead (Rickey Jordan) 2:38
CD 3
01. Mop Mop (Leonard Feather) 2:46
02. Art Ford Introduction 2:57
03. Just You, Just Me (Klages-Greer) 4:45
04. Lover Man (Davis-Ramirez-Sherman) 5:35
05. Art Ford Interview, Vivien and Arv 2:01
06. The Three Bears (Bobby Troup) 3:19
07. Art Ford and Vivien Garry 2:14
08. Indiana (MacDonald-Hanley) 2:47
09. Art Ford, The Great Experiment 1:02
10. Jingle Bells (James Lord Pierpont) 3:10
11. Art Ford and Babs Gonzales 1:32
12. Blues in B Flat (traditional) 4:26
13. Art Ford Introduction to Flying Home 1:07
14. Flying Home (Goodman-Hampton) 7:08
15. You Can Do It If You Try (Pappas-Spaulding) 2:32
16. Spring is Saying Hello (O’Hara-Bell) 3:03
17. Right Me If I'm Wrong (Weiser-Amann-James) 2:34
CD 1 Tracks #1-2: VIVIEN GARRY TRIO Vivien Garry, bass, vocal; Arv Garrison, electric guitar, vocal; Teddy Kaye, piano, vocal. Recorded at Decca Studios, New York, June 20, 1945
Tracks #3-8: VIVIEN GARRY QUARTET Vivien Garry, bass, vocal; Arv Garrison, electric guitar, vocal; George Handy, piano, vocal; Roy Hall, drums. Recorded at Master Recording Company, Hollywood, December 15, 1945
Track #9: DIZZY GILLESPIE JAZZMEN Dizzy Gillespie, trumpet; Charlie Parker, alto sax; Lucky Thompson, tenor sax; George Handy, piano; Arv Garrison, electric guitar; Ray Brown, bass; Stan Levey, drums. Recorded at Electro Recording & Broadcasting Studios, Glendale, February 5, 1946
Track #10: ARMED FORCES RADIO SERVICE / JUBILEE SHOW VIVIEN GARRY TRIO Vivien Garry, bass, vocal; Arv Garrison, electric guitar, vocal; Wini Beatty, piano, vocal. Recorded at NBC Studios, Hollywood, March 1946
Tracks #11-18: CHARLIE PARKER SEPTET Charlie Parker, alto sax; Miles Davis, trumpet; Lucky Thompson, tenor sax; Dodo Marmarosa, piano; Arv Garrison, electric guitar; Vic McMillan, bass; Roy Porter, drums. Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, March 28, 1946
Tracks #19-20: ARMED FORCES RADIO SERVICE / JUBILEE SHOW VIVIEN GARRY TRIO Vivien Garry, bass, vocal; Arv Garrison, electric guitar, vocal; Wini Beatty, piano, vocal; Ernest "Bubbles” Whitman, emcee. Recorded at NBC Studios, Hollywood, May 1946
Tracks #21-22: FRANKIE LAINE / VIVIEN GARRY TRIO Frankie Laine, vocal; Vivien Garry, bass; Arv Garrison, electric guitar; Wini Beatty, piano; Ernest "Bubbles” Whitman, emcee. Recorded at NBC Studios, Hollywood, May 1946
CD 2 Tracks #1-2: VIVIEN GARRY TRIO Vivien Garry, bass, vocal; Arv Garrison, electric guitar, vocal; Wini Beatty, piano, vocal. Recorded at NBC Studios, Hollywood, May 1946
Tracks #3-5: VIVIEN GARRY TRIO Vivien Garry, bass, vocal; Arv Garrison, electric guitar, vocal; Wini Beatty, piano, vocal; Fred Shields, emcee. Recorded at Club Morocco, Hollywood, May 1946
Tracks #6-9: LEO WATSON / THE VIC DICKENSON QUINTET Leo Watson, vocal; Vic Dickenson, trombone; Leonard Feather, piano; Arv Garrison, electric guitar; Vivien Garry, bass; Harold "Doc” West, drums. Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, September 7, 1946
Tracks #10-11: ARMED FORCES RADIO SERVICE / JUBILEE SHOW Barney Kessel, Irving Ashby, Arv Garrison, Les Paul, electric guitars; Sonny White, piano; Thomas Moultree, bass; Percy Brice, drums; Ernest "Bubbles” Whitman, emcee. Recorded at NBC Studios, Hollywood, October 14, 1946
Tracks #12-17: HOWARD McGHEE SEXTET Howard McGhee, trumpet; Teddy Edwards, tenor sax; Arv Garrison, electric guitar; Dodo Marmarosa, piano; Bob Kesterson, bass; Roy Porter, drums. Recorded at Universal Recorders, Hollywood, October 18, 1946
Track #18: EARLE SPENCER ORCHESTRA Al Killian, Frank Beach, Bob Fowler, Dick Binns, Mike Bryan, trumpets; Earle Spencer; Ollie Wilson, J. Durward Morsch, Eugene Manson, Ray Sims, Jim Gales, trombones; William Hudspeth, Les Robinson, clarinet, alto sax; Ralph Lee, Don Lodice, tenor saxes; Hy Mandel, baritone sax; Hal Schaefer, piano; Artie Shapiro, bass; Sam Weiss, drums. Morty Corb, arranger. Arv Garrison Quintet: Arv Garrison, Barney Kessel, Irving Ashby, Tony Rizzi, Gene Sargent, electric guitars. Recorded at Radio Recorders, October 19, 1946
Tracks #19-24: RICKEY JORDAN / VIVIEN GARRY TRIO Rickey Jordan, vocal; Vivien Garry, bass; Teddy Buckner, trumpet; Les Robinson, alto sax; Lucky Thompson, tenor sax; Arv Garrison, electric guitar; Wini Beatty, piano; Ed Hall, drums. Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, October 28, 1946
CD 3 Track #1: VIVIEN GARRY TRIO Vivien Garry, bass; Arv Garrison, electric guitar; Wini Beatty, piano; Gene Norman, emcee. "Mild and Mellow,” KMPC Studios, Hollywood, November 1946
Tracks #2-10: ART FORD’S "SATURDAY NIGHT SWING SESSION” VIVIEN GARRY TRIO Vivien Garry, bass, vocal; Arv Garrison, electric guitar, vocal; Teddy Kaye, piano, vocal; Art Ford, emcee. Recorded at WNEW Studios, New York, May 24, 1947
Tracks #11-12: Vivien Garry Trio plus Babs Gonzales, vocal; Roy Ross, accordion; Phil Kraus, drums. Recorded in the same session as #2-10
Tracks #13-14: All Star Jam adding Kai Winding, trombone; Charlie Ventura, tenor saxophone; Lionel Hampton, vibraphone. Recorded in the same session as #2-10
Tracks #15-18: ARV GARRISON TRIO Arv Garrison, electric guitar; El Myers, piano, vocal; Vivien Garry, bass. Recorded in 1948
Tracks #19-20: Arv Garrison, electric guitar, vocal; El Myers, piano, vocal; Vivien Garry, bass, vocal. Private recording, 1948