Live

Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea Sunday, December 10 '06

The very first music event that I reviewed at Taliesin - John Etheridge's tribute to Stephane Grappelli - featured a young violinist called Chris Garrick, whose dexterity and versatility was astounding.

Garrick has since become a Taliesin favourite, and this visit proved to be his most thrillingly effective to date. Appearing here with David Gordon(keyboards), Tom Hooper(drums), Ole Rasmussen(bass), Neil Craig(tabla and percussion)and Eddie Hession(accordion), this deceptively self-effacing character treated his audience to some of the most exciting modern jazz compositions to have graced the venue for some time - most of which had been penned by Garrick himself.

The presence of an accordion - usually associated either with French movie soundtracks or the theme from Captain Pugwash - lent itself brilliantly to some beautifully dark and emotional pieces which took their inspiration from Argentinian tango music, while some of the more energetic and percussion-driven works exploited the venue's unrivalled acoustic quality to the full.

The offbeat nature of some of the compositions was underlined by their mischievous titles, including The Alchemist and the Catflap and This is Not a Chemistry Experiment, and served to reinforce the youthful intelligence of the performers and their refreshingly casual stage presentation.

A triumphant return to Swansea for a man who has to rate as one of the finest jazz musicians of his generation.

Graham Williams

Borough Theatre, Abergavenny Saturday, December 2 '06

Violinist Chris Garrick promised to take the audience on a musical journey taking in a wide range of styles, cultures and influences. He and his band more than lived up to his claims in a thrilling evening of music making that took us all around the musical world.

24dash reviewed the Garrick quartet's excellent show at Leominster back in February - but if anything this was even better. Only Garrick himself and drummer Tom Hooper remained from the Leominster show. At Abergavenny long time associates David Gordon (keyboards) and the Danish bass player Ole Rasmussen returned to the fold. This core quartet recorded the sprawling and ambitious "Firewire" double CD, a record that is just bursting with ideas. Tonight they were augmented by Australian percussionist Neil Craig and Irish accordionist Eddie Hession to complete a truly international line up. Craig guested on a couple of tracks on "Firewire" and Hession had appeared on an earlier CD entitled "Marzipan". This six-piece line up was a pretty unique combination of instruments but they blended together brilliantly.

Garrick is nominally a jazz violinist but his range of influences is so broad that he makes a nonsense of this type of classification. Rock, classical, world and folk all fall within his compass and he also incorporates electronics and the latest technology into his music. It's a thrilling mix and if he sometimes seems to stray a little too close to 70's style prog rock excess any misgivings are quickly forgiven due to a combination of verve, charm and sheer musicality.

At Leominster Garrick included a number of jazz standards but tonight there was a greater concentration on original material, mainly drawn from the "Firewire" album. However, proceedings kicked off with Pat Metheny's "Minuano 6/8". Metheny writes great tunes and this is one of his most popular and enduring compositions. The Garrick group made a fine job of it, Christian's solid bodied electric violin sounding uncannily like Metheny's synclavier guitar. He even threw a little pizzicato into the mix in honour of the great guitarist. Garrick's own composition "Sunglasses" from "Firewire" followed and saw Garrick switch to a more conventional violin. David Gordon contributed the first of many fine solos on electric piano. The scholarly Gordon "the Einstein of the piano" as Garrick describes him is an excellent musical foil for the leader. Although his playing can be thoughtful and ruminative he is quite capable of getting low down and funky if the music requires it. Rasmussen, the "Danish Dude" (Garrick's description again) is an equally versatile player, holding down difficult bass lines Charlie Haden style or emerging into the spotlight as here to provide agile and melodic solos. If Metheny's composition showed Brazilian influences then"Tttango" took us over the border to Argentina. This was a brief feature for Hession. The accordion is an unusual instrument for jazz and is not normally associated with improvisation. However Hession's playing this evening was a revelation and worked brilliantly in this setting. Not since Jack Emblow's work with Martin Taylor's Spirit Of Django have I seen the accordion so fully integrated into a jazz context. "Prelude for Drum And Bass", written by Peter James saw Garrick on electric violin unleashing a range of remarkable electronic effects courtesy of an array of foot pedals. The piece also proved to be a feature for Hooper, his inventive fills being underpinned by the rich chording of Hession, Gordon and Garrick as the drums took the melodic lead. Hooper seemed to fill a more pivotal role tonight than at Leominster. Allowed more space his drumming was the epitome of controlled power, with his awesome technique always applied in the support of the music. Another Metheny tune "Antonia" saw Hession taking up Metheny's gorgeous melody against the backdrop of Craig's shimmering percussion. Garrick took a solo on acoustic violin before Hession concluded the piece. "This Is Not A Chemistry Experiment" introduced Craig on tabla. This reflected the influence on Garrick of John McLaughlin's band Shakti and their Indian violinist L.Shankar. Craig would probably class the tabla as his main instrument and Garrick was particularly keen to feature him in this role. However he proved to be a very watchable performer throughout on shakers, congas, bells, cymbals and sundry other percussive implements. His contributions were always relevant and enriched the music greatly. David Gordon's composition "Greenland" brought the first set to a close. His glacial piano intro contrasted with the surprisingly warm sound of Garrick's electric violin. However Gordon himself was soon cooking with a probing piano solo.

It had been a brilliant first set and the second half maintained the standard. "Half A Middle Scoop" the opening track on the "Firewire" album brought forth a fast and furious violin solo from Garrick with Gordon nearly matching him in intensity. "Iron On" followed with its many serpentine twists and turns. Garrick then tackled the only standard of the evening. "Stormy Weather" appears on "At The Dimming Of The Day" his recent duo album with his long time associate the master guitarist John Etheridge. Garrick's version features him on wah wah electric violin in a unique take on the song. It's a similar approach to that taken by Steely Dan on their version of Duke Ellington's "East St. Louis Toodle-oo". Rasmussen weighed in with a tasty bass solo too. The exuberant "Brazilliance" opened with a frantic percussion dialogue between Craig and Hooper. After some more pyrotechnics from Garrick they locked horns again for a further percussion discussion. The atmospheric ballad "Hymn For Lyra" restored an element of calm to the proceedings with its lilting melody. Gordon's "The Alchemist And The Catflap" then stoked the fires back up again to bring the set to a rip-roaring conclusion. Garrick's frantic folk style fiddling gave way to his trading phrases and solos with Gordon. Switching to pizzicato and dropping theatrically to his knees he then traded ideas with Craig who was seated at the tablas.

A smallish but extremely enthusiastic and voluble crowd clapped, stamped and whistled and brought them back for a well-deserved encore. "Julia's Paper Round" was a good choice, quirky and good-humoured this skewed calypso seemed to borrow from "Yellow Bird". Garrick and Rasmussen were featured soloists and Hooper and Craig picked up where they'd left off with another percussion dual. Once again Garrick had delivered. This was a brilliant show, well structured with plenty of changes of style, mood and pace and a blend of electric and acoustic instruments. There was always something interesting going on and neither the musicians nor the audience could take their eyes off the ball for a second. Technically the musicianship was second to none with the personable Garrick once more the focal point. The band were well served by their sound engineer and the acoustics at this comfortable and intimate venue were excellent. We'd certainly been on a musical world tour with South American, Carribbean and Indian flavours alongside more familiar US and European influences and styles. The way Garrick structured this well drilled show seemed to owe something to Pat Metheny's approach to live performance. The use of dynamics, the changes of mood and pace and the mixing of electric and acoustic instruments are all Metheny characteristics. You couldn't choose a better role model. I felt Garrick should have acknowledged Metheny's compositions tonight though as some of the audience might have thought they were Garrick originals.

That minor misgiving aside this was five star entertainment and it's a surprise to me that Garrick hasn't accrued a larger following for this adventurous but accessible. music. Garrick deserves to be more widely heard and should also appeal to some rock listeners. Check him out. This was as a good a live performance as I've seen all year.

Anybody who acknowledges Whittington's Brewery in their album notes is alright by me!

Ian Mann

5

Norfolk & Norwich Festival Summer '00

MASTER OF JAZZ VIOLIN
Britain has, to my knowledge, never had a world-class jazz violinist; but it has now. While other string players have dabbled in jazz, with a nod in the general direction of Stephane Grappelli, this young man is making waves in the jazz world by doing his own thing. And if you want a french connection, his leaning is far more towards the more maverick tendencies of Jean Luc Ponty.

But let's leave the comparisons aside. Chris Garrick is a musician who embraces all facets of the violin, using its considerable dynamics and tonal qualities to embellish his music. Given excellent backing by his trio, Dave Gordon (piano and keyboards), Jeremy Brown (double bass) and Tom Hooper (drums), Garrick served up a feast of music that was as entertaining as it was varied. Starting with a gently swinging version of the old standard I Remember You, he moved on to the startingly-brash John Taylor composition Coffee Time before moving on to John Dankworth's latin-tinged Double Six Blues. The highlight was a blistering version of Chick Corea's Armando's Rhumba.

David Wakefield

5

Uplyme Spring '01

Uplyme Village Hall was crammed to the rafters last night with people there to enjoy a feast of modern jazz played by the Chris Garrick Quartet. It is a group of virtuosi players - Tom Hooper on drums who effortlessly kept the pace going, Jeremy Brown on bass whose fingers made his instrument sing and provide a solid rhythm, Jim Watson on keyboards (he of the dancing, nimble fingers and infinite capacity to improvise) and, of course, the leader, Chris himself.

Son of pianist Michael Garrick, Chris played a modern copy of a 17th century Magginni violin. He explored the full range of his intstrument from a tormented cat screech to a low contented purr. With the minimum of vibrato, he gave us fast bowing, chromatic passages, glissandi, dazzling finger work, flashing scales, fast repetitive phrases, pizzicato, all played effortlessly. His post-Grappelli style with shades of Charlie Parker gave us what he described as the "tunes we learn first but which we interpret differently each time."

So it was that we sat back enjoyed Embraceable You, Jaguar, Caravan, Seascape which rose to a fevered crescendo before subsiding into gentle chords, Julia's Paper Round and many other tunes. The unity between all four players seemed telepathic and seamless.

But it was the second and final encore that brought the house down and tears to the eyes of many. Chris played Somewhere Over the Rainbow especially for a little girl called Phoebe. She had attended the Quartet's afternoon Live Music Now! session with all her school's pupils and had displayed particular fascination with the performance. As the romantic music ebbed and flowed, Phoebe and the enraptured audience knew that they had experienced a musical evening of rare quality.

JACK THOMAS

5

Leicester International Music Festival '01

Jazz violin may be unusual, but you can overstress its rarity. Although Chris Garrick plays in a way impossible on any other instrument - the range of attack, the variations in tone, the frequent use of harmonics - this is no novelty act. In the third number - a Garrick original called Rigarda - the real character of the band became apparent. Moving fluently from unison piano and violin, through a subdued middle section and chorale to a theme that could have come from a 70s prog rock outfit, this sounded like a statement of intent.

This is a band that can play anything they like, and make it work. They have their trademarks - drummer Tom Hooper's boiling polyrhythms, a fondness for jagged ostinati and glorious, rhapsodic climaxes - but it is the way they make a range of music their own that is so impressive. There is nothing prissy or stuffy about this playing, as they segue into a deconstruction of the theme from Un Homme et Une Femme.

Although Garrick is centre stage, the players demonstrate an ensemble that reflects the best chamber music, but has a rock band's sense of drama. Garrick, Hooper, bass player Jeremy Brown and pianist David Gordon seem willing to do anything to make the music work - witness Garrick's excursion into vocals on Change Partners. While their influences are apparent -a hint of Django Bates, a whiff of Jarrett, perhaps a little Marc Johnson - this is a band with a very individual voice.

A lovely evening, that reminds me why I go to hear live music.

Nick Jones

5

L'Album, Modena, Italia '91

Chris was nominated the most prominent jazz soloist of the Royal Academy of Music of London for the year 1990 He has clearly deserved such an accolade in showing not only his obvious preparation but also his great and fervent performance.

To define Garrick's music as jazz could be limiting as this British musician ranges from contemporary without tying himself to a specific trend; non-pure academic, but also with passion and desire to experiment with his instrument. Chris uses the violin in both traditional way and technical way, filtering sounds with various effects. He is attentive not only to the melody but also to the sound.

From his repertoire it is possible to identify his heterogeneous cultural - musical preparation. Chris's studio manager said "Chris plays like Chris". In effect, he has shown great confidence of his language and exhibits a repertoire which goes from Dizzy Gillespie to Pat Metheny.

What we heard here in Italy is Chris Garrick at 100%. A bit like Hendrix a bit like Bird, Garrick shows, despite his young age, to have studied a lot of music not only jazz but other kinds...

5

Leominster Lion Ballroom April '06

Virtuoso jazz violinist Chris Garrick and his quartet performed an excellent and well balanced programme of varied music at this Arts Alive event held at Leominster's exquisite Lion Ballroom.

The violin is an instrument rarely used in jazz and the late, great Stephane Grapelli remains the benchmark by which all other players will be judged.

However, there are so many groups playing Grapelli's 'Hot Club De France' style that it has become something of a cliche. Garrick declined to take that easy option and instead offered something far more modern and adventurous, featuring many original compositions. Given his musical lineage (he is the son of the British jazz institution; the pianist, composer and educator Michael Garrick) one would expect nothing less.

The quartet kicked off with 'CK1' dedicated to Charles Kennedy but owing something in compositional style to Keith Jarrett. This excellent opener served to highlight the quality of the band Garrick had assembled.

Rising piano star Andrew McCormack proved an excellent accompanist and also supplied several ripping solos himself over the course of the evening. He was complimented in the rhythm section by the agile bass of Andy Crowdy who also contributed a number of melodic solos and by the economical drumming of Tom Hooper who was always supportive but never flashy.

Other highlights of the first set included a medley of Gershwin tunes executed with a breezy charm and a faithful rendition of the standard 'It had to be you'. Jobim's 'How Insensitive' by contrast introduced Garrick's solid bodied electric violin and was heavily but interestingly mutated in the process.

Garrick's original Latin tinged 'Braziliance' brought about a rollicking conclusion to the first set.

The gig was well attended and the attentive audience well pleased by what they saw and heard.

In the second half Garrick pushed the envelope a little further leaving the standards behind and concentrating in the main on originals.

McCormack switched to electric piano for 'Tigger' which introduced a rock element to the proceedings. This was carried further by Garrick's extraordinary solo improvisation on electric violin. Utilising an arsenal of foot pedals he treated and distorted his sound producing some incredible effects including a guitar like sound verging on heavy metal. All this was done with a humour and panache that won over the doubters.

A romp through the tricky roller coaster riffs of Chick Corea's 'Spain' brought forth more great piano playing from the talented McCormack, and was a barnstorming closer to the second set.

The encore, Garrick's own 'Gentle' calmed things down again and everybody went home happy.

Garrick's violin had been at the heart of things throughout but the whole group were technically brilliant. I don't think I've seen such accomplished musicianship under the 'jazz' banner in Leominster before.

Arts Alive are to be congratulated on a truly memorable evening and hopefully this will encourage more professional musicians on the London jazz scene to visit rural locations.

Ian Mann

The Spin, Oxford November '06

One of the keys to artistic expression is the use of contrast or contrasting elements within aspects of uniformity. Much mainstream jazz, with its reliance on a fairly unvarying pattern of melody, improvisation on melody and repetition of melody, has a solid ground of uniformity which relies on facets of the melody and the individuality of the improvisations to give it life and excitement. Without these variables jazz can become a rather lacklustre form of expression.

Jutta's Party Band at the Spin last Thursday escaped the lacklustre to reach peaks of energy and intensity through individually contrasting approaches. Violinist Chris Garrick (pictured) is well-known for the almost intimidating attack with which he plays, tearing hair off the bow in the process of building up solos from clusters of notes into highly rhythmic funky phrases using harsh dirty' double stopping. Dave Gordon, on the other hand, with one foot in the classical world, has a precise and effortless technique. While Garrick tears and scrapes at the strings as he draws the audience with him to the summit of a solo, Gordon replies with a brilliant cascade of notes played with masterful rhythmic control. Add to this the bluesy yet analytic and increasingly fluent style of the Spin's resident guitarist Pete Oxley and you have the ingredients of a remarkable evening, especially when supporting these three are Oly Hayhurst on bass and Russ Morgan on drums. The result was jazz with a real edge and that all important contrast.

On the second night of a short tour, this quintet, called Jutta's Party Band because they originally got together to celebrate Pete Oxley's partner's birthday, sounded tight and imaginative from the first number, playing the whole evening with intensity and co-operation. Despite relying on a number of old, almost well-worn, favourites it was a particular pleasure to hear some of Gordon's compositions such as the ballad Greenland and the sparkling The Alchemist and the Catflap. The evening also emphasised what a different it makes to have keyboards in the mix which is so often missing with the Spin house band.

Paul Medley

5

Goring Gap November '06

Wonderful evening of jazz

Chris Garrick, who played with the Pete Oxley Band at Goring on November 10th, was billed as 'certainly the finest violinist in jazz today'.

He's certainly a very fine musician, a remarkable violinist and an instinctive showman; his out-of-the-blue, 100-decibel opening chord had several people reaching for their pace makers.

The Pete Oxley Band were the ham to Chris Garrick's eggs; swinging yet quite definitely slightly weird. How many bands write songs entitled The Alchemist and the Catflap or The Gruffalo?

Pete Oxley, with his guitar hitched up into his armpit, looked a bit like a beatific Dr Strangelove, only shedding his pink woolly scarf a couple of numbers in. Whilst Chris Garrick bowed, plucked, stroked, massaged and foot-pedalled acoustic and electric violins into producing sounds ranging from traditional to the animal, Pete provided subtle chords, inspired plinks and responsive solos.

The time signatures had more changes and wrinkles than Nora Batty's stockings, but Russ Morgan on drums was always there on top of the beat, enhancing the solos and keeping the stockings well and truly up.

Contemporary jazz is not often fun, but Chris Garrick and the Pete Oxley Band were one of the most entertaining bands Goring has had for a while

Ruth Hubbard, Henley Standard

Wakefield Jazz Club Tuesday February 20, 2001

For guitarist John Etheridge, this gig must have been like slipping on a comfortable old pair of shoes. Having spent his formative years touring and recording with the late Stéphane Grappelli, he has elected to take this affectionate tribute show on the road.

The ace up his sleeve, however, is the up-and-coming violin superstar Chris Garrick. Garrick was last seen in these parts with the Gary Potter quartet, a gig that had him playing second fiddle to a technically accomplished show-off. Here, his playing was allowed to flower peacefully in a garden of musical colour, fertilised and nurtured by Etheridge's maturity and sense of restraint. Rhythm guitarist Dave Kelbie and bassist Malcolm Creese provided a strong, swinging foundation, and the group whipped through a toe-tapping assortment of Grappelli tunes, as well as tracks from Etheridge's new Sweet Chorus album and the odd Django Reinhardt song.

Etheridge gleefully showed off Garrick at every opportunity. Garrick uses his violin to evoke a permanent sense of surprise, often sounding like an excited child opening presents on Christmas morning. When he solos, he seems to go beyond the jazz idiom, entering the hallowed realm of the classical cadenza and leaving his fellow musicians staring in wonder.

Wonderful though they are, Garrick's effervescent flights of fancy are without the darker, bluesier undertones that characterise Etheridge's playing. The guitarist's facial expressions suggest that every note is being torn from his soul, but the overall effect was effortlessly transporting. It is music that demands that you close your eyes and listen, for only then can the ethereal nature of what is being played stand separate from the physical reality of darting fingers and blurred plectrums.

The concert was given in a spirit of good- humour. Later on, Garrick threw in a few bars of the theme from Parkinson, a self-deprecating reference to his recent appearance on the show. But the biggest laughs were inspired by Etheridge's glorious Grappelli anecdotes, which convey his admiration for the man.

JAMES GRIFFITHS, THE GUARDIAN

5

Marsden Mechanics Nov '03

Classic and compelling jazz. There was a moment of alchemy in the early 1930's when a French violinist and a Belgian gypsy guitarist blended their music with American jazz. The result was a style that is Europe's only original contribution to classic jazz. The combination of violin, solo guitar, rhythm guitar and string bass remains utterly distinctive, utterly Continental and utterly compelling. The creators of the style, leaders of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, were guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli. To imitate them requires great instrumental virtuosity. John Etneridge and his Sweet Chorus demonstrated lass night that they had virtuosity to burn, not to mention phenomenal powers of improvisation and the musical elan that characterised Reinhardt and Grappelli's music.

The concert opened the 2003 Marsden Jazz Festival - and could hardly have done so more joyously. Guitarist Etheridge who played with Grappelli towards the end of the violinist's long career, has a command of his instrument so complete that he seems to know no limitations. But even his fastest runs make melodic sense and are filled with emotion. Violinist Chris Garrick is equally exceptional. His solos last night took technique to Paganini-like extremes, but they, too, were full of meaning. There were plenty of breakneck numbers, too, although bassist Jeremy Brown and rhythm guitarist Dave Kelbie constantly maintained a high-precision pulse. It was also fascinating to hear a much more contemporary piece, Nothing Personal.

William Marshall, Huddersfield Examiner

GARY POTTER QUARTET Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield January 30 '01

The acclaimed jazz guitarist Gary Potter brought his Gypsy-inspired Django Reinhardt review show to Yorkshire and amazed a devoted crowd with a ferocious display of instrumental prowess.

Far from being a swarthily charismatic Gypsy, Potter is an amiable, plump-faced Liverpudlian, whose cheeky smile and jokes about stealing plectrums from guitar shops mark him as a prosaic and proudly mischievous Scouser. His guitar playing is another matter, stylistically taking in several continents andevoking the woodsmoke and flickering embers of impossibly distant outdoor firesides.

While rhythm guitarist Nils Solberg, best known for his work with Bryan Ferry, maintained a relaxed but rock solid foundation of snaking chords, and award-winning violinist Chris Garrick tugged on our heartstrings, Potter sweated and strutted his stuff, applying every technical trick he has ever learned to every solo and eliciting appropriate gasps of wonder. Far more than just a jazz stylist, he worked his fingers ever faster to reveal a dazzling array of influences - country twangs, blues string-bending and Spanish classicism - and a considerable debt to the two great Charlies of bop, Parker and Christian. And, of course, Django was all-pervasive. There is more to Potter than speed alone. He frequently hit passages of refined and colourful lyricism while consistently maintaining a bell-like purity of tone. However, he was prone to self-indulgence, throwing a million notes into the third measure of every solo; 20 seconds into the first number he had already given us his all. His hard work was initially quite thrilling, but he might consider pulling back occasionally and offering up the odd surprise.

While Potter huffed and puffed, often with staggering results, Garrick serenely revealed himself to be the exquisite musician of this ensemble. His playing had all the natural heart-warming exuberance of children at play; and although the guitar made us all gape and shake our heads in wonderment, the violin simply made us swoon.

JAMES GRIFFITHS, THE GUARDIAN