CHRIS GARTNER is a Toronto based producer, bass player/multi-instrumentalist, and composer.
He has been a sought after accompanist on recordings, and tours around the world for well over the last 25 years.
Gartner has played with KEVIN HEARN (Barenaked Ladies/Lou Reed) since 1995, performing on recordings featuring:
He first came to International attention in the early 1990's
as a member of the infamous Canadian jazz/cartoon/metal band: LOOK PEOPLE. Gartner toured SWITZERLAND, GERMANY, the U.S. and throughout CANADA with the group, appearing everywhere from CBGB'S,
Gartner has produced JUNO nominated recordings, and can be heard performing on movie soundtracks, cartoons, jingles, radio and television themes, and over 100 albums.
He has recorded with Grammy winning cellist DAVID DARLING,
keyboardist GARTH HUDSON(Bob Dylan, The BAND), and LOREENA MCKENNITT among many others.
and LOLLAPALOOZA, and in articles in BILLBOARD magazine, a number of rock videos, and nation-wide live TV broadcasts.
GARTH HUDSON, LOU REED, LAURIE ANDERSON, VAN DYKE PARKS, RON SEXSMITH,
DAN HILL, CAROL POPE, CHANTAL KREVIAZUK, MICHAEL RAY (Sun Ra),
and THE PERSUASIONS.
Chris has performed with Hearn throughout the U.S. and Canada including shows at Toronto’s MASSEY HALL, MOLSON AMPHITHEATRE, and in a number of live national television broadcasts. Kevin, Hugh Marsh and Gartner co-produced Hearn's Calm and Cents album, and can be heard together on the soundtrack to the critically acclaimed film "THERE ARE NO FAKES"
From 1999 to 2009 Chris played and recorded with tabla player and composer Ravi Naimpally's award winning east-Indian/world group
TASA. While with the group, he performed with master Indian Classical musicians: TRICHY SANKARAN(mrdangam), DHRUVA GHOSH (sarangi),
and STEVE ODA(sarod).
Chris toured in Germany, Japan, the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Italy, the United States, and Canada with the group, and co-produced their fourth cd 'ALCHEMY'.
This recording features celebrated violinist MARK FELDMAN(John Zorn, Percy Jones), DJ.OLIVE, and Grammy wining Sarangi virtuoso DHRUVA GHOSH.
(JACO PASTORIUS biographer) BILL MILKOWSKI described the group as: "a fresh post/Shakti hybrid".
Since 2010, Gartner has recorded and toured with the award winning, internationally acclaimed group MINOR EMPIRE.
Led by OZAN BOZ (guitar, composer, producer), the group features vocalist OZGU OZMAN. Their psychedelic Turkish east/west music has ganered numerous international rave reviews, and millions of views on youtube.
They have played sold out shows in Istanbul, and throughout Turkey numerous times. The group has also performed in New York, Los Angeles, SanFrancisco, Chicago, New Orleans, and in a number of sucessful Canada-wide tours.
Chris can be heard with the group on recordings featuring the late Turkish clarinet virtuoso Selim Selsler, and virtuoso of the Qanun
Tamer Pianarbasi (Yo Yo Ma, Jason Lidner). The group has also featured guest guitarists Avi Bortnick (NYC), and Eivind Aarset (Norway).
Gartner has also performed and/or recorded with a wide range of well known artists and musicians including:
MARY MARGARET O'HARA, NEAL WILKINSON(Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Van Morrison), JEFF HEALEY, KEVIN DREW (Broken Social Scene),
TONY BRAUNAGEL (Bonnie Rait), HUGH MARSH (Bruce Cockburn, Jon Hassell), JASON CROSBY(Phil Lesh, John McLaughlin, Jackson Browne), MARTIN TIELLI, DENNIS HAMM (Alan Holdsworth, Thundercat), CLAUDIO SIMONETTI & MAURIZIO GUARINI (Goblin), SANDRO PERRI, SEAN CULLEN, KEVIN BREIT, MARK HEWINS(Gong), THE RHEOSTATICS, JOE MAVETY(Marianne Faithfull), COLIN MOCHERIE, HARLAND WILLIAMS,
MIKE RATHKE(Lou Reed), Colin Linden (Bob Dylan, Robert Plant), SHANE YELLOWBIRD, SPOOKEY RUBEN, KIPRICH, KEN GREER(Red Rider), LES STROUD (Survivorman), MIA SHEARD, RAMIN KARMILOO, BOOTHBY GRAFFOE, JIM SITTERLY(The Who, Avatar, Lost), TARA MACLEAN, SELIM SESLER,
LORI CULLEN, STEVE GORN (Paul Simon, Jack Dejohnette), STEVE BERLIN(Los Lobos), ROBERT SCOTT(Michael Buble), GENEVIEVE WALKER (Krishna Das, the Stars) BRENDAN CANNING (Broken Social Scene), DANNY PARADISE, AVI BORTNICK (John Scofield) and JON GILUTIN (James Talyor, Linda Rondstadt)
He has been honoured with the Grand Prize in the
JOHN LENNON International Songwriting Contest as a co-composer,
and can be heard on a number of high profile releases, including:
GARTH HUDSON’S "A Canadian Celebration of The Band", LOREENA MCKENNITT’S "The Wind that Shakes the Barley",
KEVIN HEARN'S JUNO nominated "Calm and Sense", and
"Light from the Super Earth" by
DAVID DARLING, DEBBIE DANBROOK and CHRIS GARTNER
Chris's playing has appeared on recordings that have been mixed, produced, or mastered by a number of renowned music industry producers and engineers, including:
(recording with David Darling)
(with Mike Clink)
TOM ELMHIRST (U2, Beck, Arcade Fire, Adele)
TED JENSON (Madonna, the Police, the Rolling Stones, Sigur Ros)
GREG CALBI (Talking Heads, Paul Simon, John Lennon)
MIKE CLINK (Metallica, Steve Vai, Megadeth, Duran Duran)
JIM SCOTT (Tom Petty, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Johnny Cash)
JOHN KELLY (Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Paul McCartney)
TIM YOUNG (The Beatles, Queen, Sex Pistols, Madonna)
SHANE STONEBACK (Vampire Weekend, Britney Spears, Sleigh Bells)
MICHAEL PHILLIP WOJEWODA (Jane Sibbery, Barenaked Ladies, Rheostatics)
DAVE OGILVIE (Killing Joke, Queensryche, Skinny Puppy)
GAVIN BROWN (Metric, Sarah Harmer, Tragically Hip)
PETER J. MOORE (Cowboy Junkies, Ian & Syliva Tyson, Garth Hudson)
JEREMY DARBY(Pink Floyd, Prince, Rush, Quincy Jones)
KENNY LUONG (Violent Femmes, Teagan and Sara, Metric)
COLIN LINDEN (Bruce Cockburn, Lucinda Williams)
MICHAEL FONFARA (Lou Reed, The Electric Flag)
JEFF WOLPERT (Anne Murray, Loreena McKennitt, Kris Kristofferson)
GARTH HUSDON (Paul Butterfield, the Band, Bob Dylan)
GEORGE SEARA (Drake, Herbie Hancock, Rhianna)
WALTER ZWEIFEL (John Cage, Jennifer Warnes, Englebert Humperdinck)
PHILIP SHAW BOVA (Feist, Angel Olson, Bahamas)
WARREN HUART (Aerosmith, Korn, Ramones)
"A revolutionary musican"
- David Darling (ECM recording artist)
"Virtuosso bassist"
"What an incredibly delicate touch!"
- Coleman Barks (Poet and Rumi translator)
"Bassist CHRIS GARTNER blended strange electronic effects with standard bass tones, at times making his bass imitate the dark rumblings of Darth Vader, and someone frantically calling out through a maze of pvc piping"
