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
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
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
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