Don Grolnick

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Don Grolnick (* 23. September 1947 in Brooklyn , New York City ; † 1. June 1996 in New York City) was an American jazz - fusion - and Pop - Pianist , keyboardist , composer and producer .

Live and act

Growing up in Levittown, New York, Grolnick began playing the accordion, but later switched to the piano. His interest in jazz was sparked by a Count Basie concert to which his father took him; shortly afterwards he saw Erroll Garner at Carnegie Hall . He studied philosophy at Tufts University , but his interest in music remained. At the university he met Michael Brecker ; shortly afterwards he became a member of the fusion band Dreams , and later he also worked with John Abercrombie and the funk fusion bands Brecker Brothers and Steps . He also dealt with pop music; 1974 began his long musical partnership with the singer James Taylor , whose albums he produced. In the 1980s and 1990s he was one of the most creative figures on the US studio scene with a wide range of interests, from jazz and pop to South American music.

Don Grolnick has worked in the course of his career as a pianist and composer with artists such as Linda Ronstadt , James Taylor , Roberta Flack , Carly Simon , Bette Midler , Czesław Niemen and the jazz and fusion musicians Gato Barbieri , Billy Cobham , Michael Brecker , Mike Mainieri , Eddie Gomez , Steve Gadd , Peter Erskine , David Sanborn , Mike Stern , Bob Mintzer , Dave Holland and Steely Dan together. His contribution to John Scofield's album Still Warm ( Gramavision , 1985) stands out.

In addition, Grolnick recorded a number of albums under his own name in the 1980s and 1990s, among which especially his recordings for the label Blue Note ( Weaver of Dreams , 1989 and Nighttown , 1992) stand out, on which besides Mintzer, Erskine and the brothers Brecker nor Steve Turre , Joe Lovano , Marty Ehrlich and Dave Holland participated. In 1995 Grolnick went on tour in England with a similar cast, recorded on the album The London Concert and released on Erskine's label Fuzzy Music .

Discographic notes

  • 1985 - Hearts and Numbers (1985; Hip Pocket; later on VeraBra Records)
  • 1989 - Weaver of Dreams ( Blue Note Records )
  • 1992 - Nighttown (Blue Note Records)
  • 1995 - Medianoche ( Pony Canyon ; Warner Bros. Records )
  • 1999 - Steps - Smokin 'in the Pit (NYC Records)
  • 2000 - Steps - A Collection: Step by Step / Paradox (2000; NYC Records)
  • 2000 - The London Concert (released 2000; Fuzzy Music)

literature

Web links

References and comments

  1. ^ Cook & Morton, p. 1316.
  2. ↑ Cook and Morton count these “superb” sessions among Grolnick's best recordings and give them the highest rating of four stars.
personal data
SURNAME Grolnick, Don
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz and fusion pianist and composer
DATE OF BIRTH September 23, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn , New York City, USA
DATE OF DEATH June 1, 1996
Place of death New York City , USA