Bowie's Piano Man - The Biography of Mike Garson

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Bowie's Piano Man - The Biography of Mike Garson Page 29

by Clifford Slapper


  1986

  Remember Love

  CBS/Masterworks

  1989

  The Mystery Man

  Chase Music

  1990

  Oxnard Sessions, Vol.1

  Reference Recordings

  1990

  Oxnard Sessions, Vol.2

  Reference Recordings

  1993

  A Gershwin Fantasia

  Reference Recordings

  1994

  Now Music, Vol.4

  Mike Garson

  1998

  Homage to My Heroes

  Mike Garson

  2003

  Conversations with My Family

  Resonance Records

  2008

  Lost in Conversation

  Mike Garson

  2008

  Mike Garson’s Jazz Hat

  Reference Recordings

  2008

  The Bowie Variations for Piano

  Reference Recordings

  2011

  Wild Out West

  Blueport Records

  2012

  Free Flight albums (as band member)

  Beyond the Clouds

  Palo Alto Records

  1984

  Illumination

  CBS

  1986

  Best of Free Flight

  Walker/Garson

  1988

  Slice of Life

  CBS

  1989

  Free Flight 2000

  CPP Media Records

  1996

  A Free Flight Christmas

  Walker/Garson

  2002

  Free Flight Forever (live 1985 broadcast)

  Walker/Garson

  2012

  Jim Walker/Mike Garson

  Flight of the Dove

  Walker/Garson

  1983

  Reflections

  Reference Recordings

  1985

  Walker & Garson Play Gershwin

  Walker/Garson

  1997

  Tranquility

  Walker/Garson

  2000

  Jim Walker plays the music of Mike Garson

  Walker/Garson

  2007

  Pied Piper

  Reference Recordings

  2010

  The Music of George Gershwin

  Walker/Garson

  2012

  Billy Corgan/Mike Garson

  Stigmata Original Soundtrack

  Virgin Records

  1999

  As a guest artist, with:

  David Bowie

  Aladdin Sane

  RCA

  1973

  Pin Ups

  RCA

  1973

  Diamond Dogs

  RCA

  1974

  David Live

  RCA

  1974

  Young Americans

  RCA

  1975

  Ziggy Stardust – The Motion Picture

  RCA

  1983

  Black Tie White Noise

  Arista/BMG

  1993

  The Buddha of Suburbia

  Arista

  1993

  Santa Monica ’72

  Trident/Golden Years

  1994

  1. Outside

  RCA

  1995

  Earthling

  RCA

  1997

  ‘hours…’ (2004 bonus track)

  Virgin

  1999

  Bowie at the Beeb

  EMI

  2000

  Heathen (bonus tracks/B-sides)

  ISO/Columbia

  2002

  Reality

  ISO/Columbia

  2003

  VH1 Storytellers

  EMI

  2009

  A Reality Tour

  ISO/Columbia/Legacy

  2010

  Nothing has changed – The Very Best of Bowie

  Parlophone/Columbia/Legacy

  2014

  Mick Ronson

  Slaughter on 10th Avenue

  RCA/Victor

  1974

  Play Don’t Worry

  RCA/Victor

  1975

  Nine Inch Nails

  The Fragile

  Interscope Records

  1999

  Smashing Pumpkins

  Machina/The Machines of God

  Virgin Records

  2000

  Stan Getz

  Stan Getz Live at Midem ’80

  Kingdom Jazz

  1989

  Stanley Clarke

  Modern Man

  Nemperor/Epic

  1978

  I Wanna Play for You

  Nemperor/Epic

  1979

  Miscellaneous albums

  Brethren

  Moment of Truth

  1971

  Annette Peacock

  Bley/Peacock Synthesiser Show

  1971

  Annette Peacock

  I’m the One

  1972

  Open Sky

  Open Sky

  1973

  Bob Sargeant

  First Starring Role

  1975

  David Essex

  All the Fun of the Fair

  1975

  Lulu

  Heaven and Earth and the Stars

  1976

  Spiders From Mars

  Spiders From Mars

  1976

  Paul Horn

  Riviera Concert

  1977

  Guy Pastor

  It’s Magic

  1988

  Various Artists

  Reference Jazz: First Sampling

  1990

  Mike Garson & Los Gatos

  Admiration

  1991

  Brian Bromberg

  It’s About Time: The Acoustic Project

  1991

  Jérôme Soligny

  Gawin (original film score)

  1991

  Jérôme Soligny

  Thanks for the Wings

  1992

  Jazz at the Movies Band

  A Man & A Woman/Sax at the Movies

  1993

  The Michael Garson Ensemble

  Screen Themes ’93

  1993

  The Michael Garson Ensemble

  Screen Themes ’94

  1994

  Jazz at the Movies Band

  Reel Romance

  1994

  Robin Williamson

  Love & Parting & Five Bardic Mysteries

  1994

  Ava Cherry & Astronettes

  People from Bad Homes

  1995

  Jazz at the Movies Band

  Sax on Broadway

  1997

  Yamaha Flute

  Contemporary Virtuosos

  1998

  Seal

  Human Being

  1998

  C. Gibbs

  Twenty Nine Over Me

  1999

  John Lucien

  Sweet Control: The Best Of

  1999

  Various Artists

  Great Horns

  1999

  No Doubt

  Return of Saturn

  2000

  Raphaël

  La Réalité

  2003

  Jimmy Chamberlin Complex

  Life Begins Again (bonus tracks)

  2005

  Something for Kate

  Desert Lights

  2006

  Raphaël

  Résistance a La Nuit

  2006

  Raphaël

  Une Nuit Au Châtelet

  2007

  St. Vincent

  Marry Me

  2007

  The Polyphonic Spree

  The Fragile Army

  2007

  Emma Burgess

  Swim

  2007

  Various Artists

&
nbsp; The Jewish Songbook

  2008

  Juno Reactor

  Gods & Monsters

  2008

  Aviv Geffen

  Live ’08

  2008

  Sibyl Vane

  The Locked Suitcase

  2008

  The Dillinger Escape Plan

  Option Paralysis

  2010

  Trent Reznor & Atticus Rose

  Gone Girl (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)

  Appendix 4

  Milestones

  ‘Mike is one of the most incredible human beings that I’ve ever encountered… one of the deepest searchers or seekers, both philosophically and musically, I’ve ever met. He is an incredibly dedicated family man, absolutely dedicated to his family. His goal as an artist is to share his vision – I completely love his vision. He’s got more tools than most people. As a colleague, as a performing colleague, he is a powerhouse.’ – Jim Walker, flautist, Free Flight

  1945 July 29 Born Brooklyn, New York, USA

  1952 September First lessons, with Mr Scatura

  1959 Played first gig, earned $5

  1960 Began working with first band, The Impromptu Quartet, in Catskill Mountains, Upstate New York (every summer for eight years)

  1962 While working in the Catskill Mountains, met future wife, Susan

  1963 Graduated Lafayette High School, Brooklyn, New York. Began Brooklyn College as pre-med student, then majored in music with a minor in education

  1963 – 1966 Received piano lessons from Lennie Tristano

  1964 Three piano lessons with Herbie Hancock

  1964 – 1967 Piano lessons from Hal Overton

  1966 One extraordinary and life-changing six-hour piano lesson with Bill Evans

  1967 – 1969 Military service/playing in army band: stationed in Fort Dix, New Jersey, for basic training, and then at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island, NY

  1968 March 24 Married Susan Ellen Taylor, in Great Neck, NY

  1969 Graduated Brooklyn College, after army duties completed

  1969 Joined ‘Brethren’ rock group on piano and organ

  1971 August 20 Jennifer Anne Garson born, New York City

  1971-1972 Various ‘Mike Garson Trio’ line-ups, playing live in New York

  1972 – 1975 First period of work with David Bowie and the

  Spiders From Mars, including Bowie’s ‘retirement’ announcement (as Ziggy Stardust) on 3 July 1973 at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England and ending with 7 March 1975 release of Young Americans

  1974 December 11 Heather Kim Garson born, New York City

  1982 Joined flautist Jim Walker in Free Flight, starting a long and prodigiously fruitful collaboration, with regular touring and live work until 2004, after which they continued with occasional concert appearances together

  1992 – 2006 Second period of work with David Bowie, starting with recording for Black Tie White Noise up to the Reality tour and some subsequent special appearances, including a performance by Bowie together with Alicia Keys in New York in 2006

  1995 ‘Now!’ Music launched as compositional system

  1995 – 2005 Composed approximately 2,800 classical pieces (total original pieces composed by 2014 totals about 5,000)

  1998 – 2000 Played on The Smashing Pumpkins Adore tour, and album, Machina/The Machines of God; also played with them for their Farewell Concert, 2 December 2000 at The Metro, Chicago

  1998 Work with Billy Corgan on film score for Stigmata

  1998 Recording with Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails for double album, The Fragile, released September 1999

  2000 Work with Gwen Stefani and No Doubt on Return of Saturn album

  2009 Commissioned by the Kennedy Centre, Washington DC, to create new arrangements of Duke Ellington combining jazz and classical ensembles

  2009 Final Nine Inch Nails concerts at The Henry Fonda Theatre and The Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, September (at end of Wave Goodbye tour)

  2010 – 2011 Private teaching in Los Angeles; masterclasses in various universities; recording The Bowie Variations, an album of piano interpretations of David Bowie songs

  2011 – 2013 Series of performances in South of France with various French jazz musicians each January

  2013 Continuing composing, including a special series of 88 complex improvisations, each lasting 15 minutes or more

  2013 Work started on newly commissioned Symphonic Suite for Healing for orchestra, keyboards, children’s choir, jazz band, vocalists, dancing ensemble and piano

  2014 March 1 World premiere performance of Symphonic Suite for Healing at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Orange County, California

  2015 Continuing to perform Symphonic Suite for Healing with key orchestras globally and working on new commission to compose a major work around theme of autism.

  Acknowledgements

  FIRST AND FOREMOST I WANT to thank my parents, Doreen and Ivor Slapper, who brought me up with a love of good music. As a young child, our home was filled with the sounds of Nilsson, the Beatles, Georgie Fame, Jose Feliciano, Stevie Wonder, Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones, to name but a few… to which they would both sing along energetically, tunefully and rhythmically. This is what it is all about.

  As a biographer I could not have wished for a more helpful subject than Michael Garson, who has answered a veritable tide of enquiries promptly and in good humour, night and day over a period of nearly three years. At a certain stage, the eight-hour time difference between London and Los Angeles appeared to lose significance: when you are working, or available, round the clock, it does not matter which clock it is.

  A large number of people have been kind enough to help in all sorts of different ways. You will each know what you did, and I wish to thank you all for helping me to steer this project from its origins in the passions of my youth, into what I hope is now a useful vehicle through which those enthusiasms can be shared.

  For their great encouragement during the research and writing of this book I would like especially to thank: Funmi Abiola, Adam Buick, Martin Godleman, Laura Mohapi, Nicholas Pegg, Rachel Ratajski and Francesca Spiegel.

  Several people kindly read the text at various stages and made imaginative and intelligent suggestions which have improved it: Mark Adams, Adam Buick, Stephen Coleman, Nicholas Pegg, David Perrin, Charles Shaar Murray, Jérôme Soligny, Francesca Spiegel and Louis Vause.

  Many thanks to all of the interviewees, who were very generous with their time, recollections and insights. The great majority of these were interviewed in person, a few via written correspondence: Eric Agnew and SPFC, Zachary Alford, Gail Ann Dorsey, Gary Ansdell, Mark Bakalor, Kris Becker, Samuel Ben-Horin, Barry Bittman, Sterling Campbell, Neil Conti, Bruce Donnelly, Christopher Duma, Suzi Fussey Ronson, Reeves Gabrels, Heather Garson Gilbert, Michael Garson, Susan Garson, Danny Holt, Emilio Kauderer, Larry Koonse, Joe LaBarbera, Gerry Leonard, David Liebman, Robin Mayhew, Jim Merod, Hans Morgenstern, Chris O’Leary, Jilann O’Neill, Holly Palmer, Annette Peacock, Mark Plati, Kris Pooley, Trent Reznor, Maggi Ronson, Theo Ryan, Tim Ryan, Charles Shaar Murray, Jennifer Shuper, Jeremy Shuper, Peter Shuper, Earl Slick, Jérôme Soligny, Willem Tanke, Brad Vinikow, Tony Visconti, James Walker and Tony Zanetta.

  Special thanks to: Mark Adams, Mark Bakalor, David Bowie, Kevin Cann, Jarvis Cocker, Danie Cox, Ricky Gervais, Charlie Hanson, Simon Napier-Bell, Tristram Penna, Jérôme Soligny, Francesca Spiegel, Millicent Claire, Julian Vein, Tony Visconti, Tom Wilcox and Bill Zysblat.

  Sincere thanks to Dexter O’Neill and Fantom, and to the indefatigably diligent Nicholas Pegg, who helped me to pitch the idea to them. In addition to being a world authority on all matters David Bowie-related, Nicholas Pegg is also an actor who has famously played a Dalek in Doctor Who, to which Fantom also has a strong connection. Hilariously, he apparently couched my synopsis in Whovian terms, allowing them to grasp its significance, for which I am profoundly grateful. He then continued to help in numerous other ways as the project progressed,
with knowledge, insight and generous patience, for which I am also especially thankful.

  Likewise, I have been fortunate to receive a huge amount of kind assistance in many different ways from Mark Adams, especially in the final months of preparing this book for publication, for which I am very grateful. His enthusiasm and determined attention to detail are well matched by his unflappable good cheer and always affable helpfulness.

  All of the members of the Garson family have been unstinting in their desire to help at every turn, and I hope that in return I have begun to do justice to the compassion, hard work, creativity and generosity of spirit of the man at their heart.

  Finally I want to thank Mike Garson himself. He embarked on a long and thorough exploration with me of a vast accumulation of work and experiences. As that journey unfolded, thanks to him, I found myself learning vastly more than I had bargained for, about life as well as about his life.

  Clifford Slapper

  London, November 2014

 

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