Michael Garrick
Senior Citizen
Biography
Being expelled from Eleanor B Franklin-Pike's piano lessons for dashing off a quote from "In the Mood" at a pupils' soiree taught the young Garrick something lasting about snobbery. Aware that apartheid was then still rife in the British music conservatoires as far as jazz was concerned, he opted for English Literature instead and took a BA at University College, London (1959), where he formed his first modern jazz quartet, followed by a teaching qualification. His birthplace was Enfield, Middlesex.
He became musical director of "Poetry & Jazz in Concert" soon after, a roadshow devised by poet and publisher Jeremy Robson, with writers such as Laurie Lee, Adrian Mitchell, Vernon Scannell, Spike Milligan, Dannie Abse and John Smith. With the latter he composed the jazz-choral works MR SMITH'S APOCALYPSE (60 min), 1969, for sextet, speakers and chorus, premiered at the Farnham Festival; FOUR RITUAL DANCES (jazz quintet & speaker); FIVE SONGS OF RESURRECTION (similar forces); THE STIRRING, a young people's cantata (sextet & chorus) and ZODIAC OF ANGELS, 12 evocations of spiritual beings, a choral ballet premiered at the Opera Theatre, Manchester, 1988 (symphony orchestra, jazz soloists, solo singers and chorus) (70min).
Other works involving texts with chorus, organ and jazz sextet are JAZZ PRAISES at ST PAUL'S (1968) and JUDAS KISS (1971), a two hour setting of Christ's passion drawn from four gospels.
There are many hundreds of other titles: songs, children's pieces and a wide range of instrumental compositions for most sizes of ensemble, including jazz string quartet.
In 1985 a jazz orchestra was formed to perform 'golden-age' material (in particular, works by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn) and Garrick's growing pile of suites, songs and one-offs. These include 'HARDY COUNTRY' (based on Thomas Hardy's novels), 'THE ROYAL BOX' (the 1990's media treatment of the British royal family) and a continuing series of 'JAZZ PORTRAITS'.
Garrick has been described as "the J.W.R. Turner of jazz composition" and his piano playing as "fleet, elegant, uncomplacent and much underrated."
A dozen albums were made for Argo (Decca), 1963-73; two for HEP (1981,1983) and five on the Jazz Academy label (1993-1999) featuring Trio & Jazz Orchestra with singers Jacqui Dankworth and Anita Wardell (Norma Winstone from 1968-1985).
He has held teaching posts at the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity College of Music, London; he teaches at Guildhall School of Music Summer School as well as forming his own Jazz Academy Vacation Courses in 1989.
He has worked with John Dankworth, Cleo Laine, Nigel Kennedy, Benny Carter, Ronnie Scott, Humphrey Lyttelton and Adelaide Hall.
For his son, Christian Garrick, he has written the RHAPSODY FOR VIOLIN AND JAZZ ORCHESTRA (1996) and a sonata for Princess Diana, SONG OF GLADNESS AND FAREWELL (1998).
He performs in a Trio (piano, bass, drums) context as well as fronting his Jazz Orchestra and small groups.
Work continues on all levels: the next suite is based on J.M. Barrie's classic, "Peter Pan".
JAZZ ACADEMY RECORDS 12 Castle Street, Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 2BQ Tel: 01442 864989
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Performances |
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- JAZZ PRAISES: a miscellany of religious texts & images for jazz group, organ and chorus
[Duration: 30-40 individual pieces, 3'00 to 9'00 each]
- MR SMITH'S APOCALYPSE: cantata (poems by John Smith)
[Duration: 60 mins]
- JUDAS KISS: the Passion of Christ: text compiled from four gospels. Commission from Nottingham Festival, 1971. Same forces as above: string orchestra integrated 1990. Not commerically recorded.
[Duration: 120 mins]
- A HOBBIT SUITE or GEMSTONES: suite based on J.R.R. Tolkein's fantasy "The Hobbit"
[Duration: 90 mins]
- JAZZ PORTRAITS: individual pieces downplaying any enigma element
[Duration: approx. 6 mins each]
- UNDERGROUND STREAMS:Commission from the Jazz Centre Society, London, 1978 for voice, guitar and piano. Not commercially recorded, though broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
[Duration: 50 mins]
- HARDY COUNTRY: suite for small or large ensemble with or without vocal part
[Duration: 100 mins]
- A ZODIAC OF ANGELS: suite of 12 pieces depicting the situation and function of 12 heavenly beings as defined in 'A Dictionary of Angels' by Gustav Davidson, selected & set in verse by John Smith.[Duration: 70 mins]
- THE ROYAL BOX, 1992: suite in nine movements based on phrases from 'royal' life, eg. 'The Old Pretender', 'The Royal Prerogative', 'A Lady in Waiting', etc.[Duration: 120 mins]
- BOVINGDON POPPIES, 1993: oratorio of poem "Bovingdon Poppies", for chorus, soloists, jazz sextet and string orchestra [Duration: 55 mins]
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