What do Freddie Hubbard, Stan Getz, Elvin Jones, Lee Konitz, Stanley Clarke, Eddie Daniels, Joe Farrell, David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins, Gwen Stefani, Seal, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Martha Reeves to name a few, all have in common? The answer is Mike Garson known to many as "The Fastest Fingers in Jazz" and he's played with them all! David Bowie, for whom Garson has long been music director, says, “He’s the best rock & roll pianist I know.” Recording group Free Flight took advantage of his classical training, and Hollywood calls when it needs a virtuoso assoluto. In short, Mike Garson is a phenomenon, able to mimic Bill Evans or Liberace on command, or to soothe an audience with New Age hypnotics. But he’s at his very best wearing his “jazz hat” as he does here.  

Supported by a stellar cast of Brian Bromberg (acoustic bass), Ralph Humphries (drums) and Eric Marienthal (alto saxophone), Garson turns in a memorable set of originals and imaginative arrangements of standards. Most tracks were previously available on RR-53, long out of print, plus for this re-release, Garson’s “take no prisoners” improvisation on Gershwin themes, also long out of print is included. Everyone at Reference Recordings thinks this is one of their finest jazz productions!

Recorded acoustically at the Oxnard, California, Civic Auditorium, Mike Garson’s Jazz Hat was captured in three-dimensional, high-resolution HDCD sound by RR’s resident guru, “Prof.” Keith Johnson, recipient of seven GRAMMY nominations for engineering.

Mike Garson Mike Garson's Jazz Hat Track Listing

1. Rumble
2. All Blues
3. It's You Or No One
4. Song For You, A
5. Waltz For Bill
6. Gershwin Fantasia, A
7. Night In Tunisia, A
8. Nardis
9. Count Your Blessings