Art Chowder January | February, Issue 19 | Page 48

A
Garrin Hertel
very Happy New Year from
myself and everyone here at Art
Chowder!
A surprise burst of inspiration
can sometimes strike from
quite unexpected sources or
circumstances, and bring with it
entirely new ideas, purpose and
direction.
Nobody could possibly be more
aware of this phenomenon than
Spokane magazine publisher
and musician Garrin Hertel,
who, on a visit to New Orleans
found himself spellbound whilst
listening to a traditional jazz
band playing at a venue called
the Spotted Cat adjacent to the
city’s popular French quarter. He
was particularly captivated by the
pronounced rhythmic playing style
of the band’s guitarist John Rodli,
so much so that he spent the next
four hours watching, listening very
closely, and taking it all in.
Garrin has always held a particular
passion for the traditional jazz
and swing musical stylings of
yesteryear, which could often be
heard being played at home by
his parents as he was growing
up. Like many other youngsters,
Garrin’s early entry into the world
of performing music was by taking
piano lessons, offering him the
foundations of musical theory. But
the piano was left behind in the
classroom as he moved towards
adulthood.
Approximately a decade later,
epiphany and coincidence collided
when Garrin’s new interest in the
rhythmic jazz guitar techniques
he had discovered in New Orleans
was jolted by the tragic events that
decimated the city as a result of
Hurricane Katrina.
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
French Quarter, New Orleans