Larry Grenadier
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Larry Grenadier | |
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Grenadier in Aarhus, Denmark, 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | February 6, 1966 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Double bass |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Label | ECM |
| Formerly of |
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Spouse | |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) |
| Website | larrygrenadier |
Larry Grenadier (born February 6, 1966, in San Francisco) is an American jazz double bassist.[1]
Early life
[edit]Grenadier's father was a trumpeter in World War II army bands and later in Europe but stopped playing professionally before his children were born.[2] Grenadier began on trumpet when he was in fifth grade, before beginning to play the bass the following year.[2] Grenadier's brothers played trumpet and guitar.[2] Grenadier's father helped introduce him to the instruments and music theory. Larry's older brother Phil began listening to jazz around this time, influencing his sibling's musical interests. Grenadier began listening to several jazz bassists, including Ray Brown, Charles Mingus, Richard Davis, Paul Chambers, Wilbur Ware, and Oscar Pettiford, among others.
At age 12, Grenadier began formal study of the acoustic bass, learning from local jazz bass players Chris Poehlor, Paul Breslin, and Frank Tusa, and later, classical bassists Michael Burr and Stephen Tramontozzi. By age 16, Grenadier had a busy career performing in the San Francisco Bay Area with both local musicians and those traveling through town in need of a bassist. During this period, he played with Harvey Wainapel, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson, Larry Vuckovich, Eddie Henderson, Bruce Forman, Eddie Marshall, Vince Lateano, George Cables, Donald Bailey, Toots Thielemans, Johnny Griffin, Charles McPherson, and Frank Morgan, among others.
Grenadier studied at Stanford University and graduated in 1989[2] with a bachelor's degree in English Literature. At Stanford, he met Stan Getz, with whom he toured.
Career
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After graduating from Stanford, Grenadier moved to Boston to play with vibraphonist Gary Burton.[2] In 1991, he moved to New York.[2] He continued to collaborate with some of the musicians he had met during his time in Boston, such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Joshua Redman, Mark Turner, Jorge Rossy, and Chris Cheek. Others he met for the first time in New York include Bill Stewart, Kevin Hays, Renee Rosnes, Ralph Moore, Billy Drummond, Danilo Pérez, David Sánchez, Tom Harrell, and Billy Hart. Grenadier continued his association with Joe Henderson, touring with his band, which at times included Al Foster, Renee Rosnes, and Larry Willis. He also spent a few months during his earlier years in New York playing in Betty Carter's band.
In the early 1990s, Grenadier first met and performed with pianist Brad Mehldau. He joined Mehldau's trio alongside drummer Jorge Rossy; together, they toured and recorded for over ten years. Rossy was replaced by drummer Jeff Ballard in 2004.
Grenadier has also worked with guitarist Pat Metheny, with whom he toured as a trio along with drummer Bill Stewart. He credits his experiences touring with Metheny's trio as a significant learning experience.[3]
Grenadier has also played with John Scofield, Hudson (a collaborative project with Jack DeJohnette, John Medeski, and Scofield), Charles Lloyd, Chris Potter, Billy Higgins, Michael Brecker, and Paul Motian, among many others. In 2014, Grenadier collaborated with Stefano Bollani on the album Sheik yer Zappa.
Grenadier is a member of Fly, a jazz trio that includes tenor saxophonist Mark Turner and drummer Jeff Ballard. They have recorded three critically acclaimed albums. He also tours and records with his wife, singer-songwriter Rebecca Martin. A landmark solo bass album of his, The Gleaners, was issued on ECM Records in 2019.[4]
Personal
[edit]Grenadier married singer-songwriter Rebecca Martin on June 7, 1997. Grenadier and Martin live in Hudson Valley, New York. Together, they have one son, Charlie.
Selected discography
[edit]As leader
[edit]- The Gleaners (ECM, 2019)
As member
[edit](With Mark Turner and Jeff Ballard)
- Fly (Savoy, 2004)
- Sky & Country (ECM, 2009)
- Year of the Snake (ECM, 2012)
Hudson
(With Jack DeJohnette, John Medeski, and John Scofield)
As sideman
[edit]|
With BeatleJazz
With Peter Beets
With Peter Bernstein
With Seamus Blake
With Chris Cheek
With George Colligan
With Jon Gordon
With Phil Grenadier
With Kevin Hays
With Ethan Iverson
With David Kikoski
With Jonathan Kreisberg
With Charles Lloyd
With Herbie Mann
With Rebecca Martin
With Brad Mehldau
|
With Pat Metheny
With Paul Motian
With MTB (Brad Mehldau, Mark Turner, and Peter Bernstein)
With Wolfgang Muthspiel
With Chris Potter
With Enrico Rava
With Joshua Redman
With Kurt Rosenwinkel
With Jamie Saft
With David Sánchez
With Stan Sulzmann
With Mark Turner
With Scott Wendholt
With Frank Wess and Johnny Coles
With Steve Wilson
With Chihiro Yamanaka
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References
[edit]- ↑ Clement, Neil E. (October 1, 2019). Twentieth Century Music Writers - A Hyperlist. MTCC Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-9986311-7-2.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mehldau, Brad (2023). Formation: Building a Personal Canon, Part One. Equinox. pp. 214–215. ISBN 978-1-80050-313-7.
- ↑ Brannon, Mike (2010). "Bassist Larry Grenadier". All About Jazz and/or contributing writer/visual artist. AOL Music.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ↑ "Larry Grenadier embarks on a solo flight - marlbank". www.marlbank.net. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019.
External links
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| National | |
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