Django on Arv Garrison?

Nick_Rossi · November 2020

Hello everyone. While I have long used this forum as a resource, I just today joined up and this is my first post. Thanks in advance for any/all responses!

One of Django's early fans in the USA was a Toledo, Ohio born guitarist by the name of Arvin Garrison, known usually as Arv Garrison. He was active regionally from about 1940 until 1943 and then began to make a name for himself nationally between 1944 and 1948 as part of the Vivien Garry Trio. The Reinhardt influence is fairly pronounced if not obviously, although Garrison was an electric player mainly playing boppish, but swinging jazz. Colleagues recalled Arv as an ardent Django admirer and Garrison himself named Reinhardt as his original inspiration when questioned by Leonard Feather for that writer's first encyclopedia of jazz. Sadly, Garrison's career went into decline in the 1950s and he tragically died in 1960.

All said, it is often written that Django himself singled out Garrison as one of the "best of the new crop" of guitar players. I have searched high and low, but have been unable to verify the source of that quote. I spoke with Michael Dregni, who was unable to find it as well. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Does anyone have any idea where this quote would have originated? I am currently in the middle of a massive Garrison project, so any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Nick Rossi

www.nickrossiarts.com

San Francisco, Calif., U.S.A.

Musician | Writer | Painter

Buco · November 2020

No idea but thank you for the story and welcome.

wim · November 2020

I could only find an article from James Harrod who seems already affiliated with you https://jazzresearch.com/arv-garrison/

But I also wanted to drop this here because it might be of interest to other members, a prolific Soundslicer known as Lars has been transcribing a lot of Arv, and the influence of Django is clear. Great stuff:

https://www.soundslice.com/search/?q=%22arvin%20garrison%22