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Gigi Gryce
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Gigi Gryce was born George General Grice(sic) on 28th November, 1925 (not 1927) in Pensacola, Florida - although he was brought up in Hartford, Connecticut. He spent a short period in the Navy where he met musicians such as Clark Terry, Jimmy Nottingham and Willie Smith, who were to turn his thoughts from pursuing medicine to the possibility of making music for a living. In 1948 he began studying classical composition at the Boston Conservatory under Daniel Pinkham and Alan Hovhaness. It has been reported that he won a Fulbright scholarship and went to Paris to study under Nadia Boulanger and Arthur Honegger, although confirmation of this has been hard to establish. Although illness interrupted his studies abroad, the fruits of this immersion in classical modernism were the production of three symphonies, a ballet (The Dance of the Green Witches), a symphonic tone-poem (Gashiya-The Overwhelming Event) and chamber works, including various fugues and sonatas, piano works for two and four hands, and string quartets. Gryce strictly separated his classical composing from his work in jazz and received inspiration and instruction from a number of 'unsung' jazz saxophonists
Remembering Gigi Gryce
by Larry Slater
Saxophonist and composer Gigi Gryce was a fixture on the East Coast jazz scene in the 1950's and early 1960s, working with many of the giants of the era. A talented saxophonist known for his writing and arranging, he recorded with everyone from Clifford Brown and Donald Byrd to Art Blakey and Benny Golson. In the ...
OJC Odds & Ends: From Cal Tjader to Mal Waldron
by C. Andrew Hovan
Once the vinyl renaissance confirmed that record labels could bring in a steady income just by tapping their holdings, they began combing their archives to fuel a steady stream of reissues. With a catalog of more than 1.2 million songs, Concord Records was uniquely positioned to capitalize on this resurgence. Its Craft Recordings subsidiary has emerged ...
Rodney Jordan: Memphis Blue
by Jack Bowers
On Memphis Blue, acclaimed bassist Rodney Jordan bows deeply to his Tennessee hometown via a series of charming and largely blues-tailored themes that are designed to trace the city's unique character and heritage. Jordan wrote four of them, including the album's title song and animated tributes to trumpeter Roy Hargrove and drummer Art Blakey.
David Robbins: Happy Faces
by Pierre Giroux
The release of Happy Faces by the Dave Robbins Big Band is a landmark event in Vancouver, B.C. jazz history. More than a mere archival recording, this revelatory issue celebrates the enduring legacy of a seminal figure who shaped the course of large ensemble jazz in Canada and beyond. Robbins, a trombonist, composer and visionary band ...
Stephen Davis: Leaving It All Out There
by Ian Patterson
"How come I haven't heard of you before?" a surprised Anthony Braxton asked Northern Irish drummer/percussionist Stephen Davis. The venerable American saxophonist and composer was bowled over after playing with Davis for the first time. Most musicians are. It is no secret in Ireland, or indeed Europe at large, that Belfast-born Davis is ...
Remembering Quincy Jones: Music Is Like Water
by Ian Patterson
Quincy Jones, a giant of popular music culture in the 20th and 21st centuries, died in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 3, He was 91. Though he began his career in the '50s as a jazz trumpeter, Quincy Jones may be best remembered as a highly successful producer, arranger and conductor--hats he wore with ...
Stylings of Silver, Nods to Nica, Quartet of Trios
by David Brown
This week, our featured artist is pianist/composer Horace Silver. We'll check out a number of his compositions as performed by Ran Blake, Shirley Scott , Tommy Flanagan, Gigi Gryce and Silver himself. From there we will check out works written in homage to the Baroness Panonnica de Koenigswarter--known as Nica--a patron, supporter and friend to many ...
Backgrounder: Gigi Gryce's Nica's Tempo, 1955
Gigi Gryce was one of jazz's most sensual arrangers. Like Billy Strayhorn, Tadd Dameron, Quincy Jones, Benny Golson and others, Gryce favored a cool sophistication in his compositions and arrangements. He was so exceptional as an orchestrator that it's easy to forget he was also a terrific alto saxophonist. One of Gryce's finest albums and a ...
Chris Oatts’ Pretty Big Band at Chris’ Jazz Café
by Victor L. Schermer
Chris Oatts' Pretty Big Band Chris' Jazz Café Philadelphia, PA May 28, 2024 The nonet, a nine-member ensemble which enables features of both small group and big band arranging and playing, has probably deserved greater use than it has seen in jazz over the years. Among the ...
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