Jazz Articles about Jerry Granelli

About Jerry Granelli

Album Review

Vince Guaraldi and Bola Sete: From All Sides

Read "From All Sides" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan

by C. Andrew Hovan
March 11, 2026

When it comes to West Coast jazz of the highest order, Lester Koenig's Contemporary label set the standard, although Fantasy Records would also carve its own niche. Founded by the Weiss Brothers in 1949, Fantasy would be the home to two early jazz crossover artists, Dave Brubeck and Vince Guaraldi. With a taste for multiple genres, the label also documented the work of comedian Lenny Bruce and the country rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. The latter group actually earned ...

Album Review

Jay Clayton, Jerry Granelli: Alone Together

Read "Alone Together" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
November 3, 2021

L'età avanzata non aveva spento in Jay Clayton e Jerry Granelli (purtroppo deceduto di recente) la voglia di riprendere la lunga collaborazione in performance liberamente improvvisate. Il sodalizio tra la cantante e il batterista risale alla fine degli anni settanta, quando Collin Walcott suggerì a Granelli d'invitare la Clayton al workshop musicale che tenevano al Naropa Institute, il famoso centro buddhista di Boulder, Colorado. Apparentemente sembrava una collaborazione incompatibile. Il drummer di San Francisco era maturato nel ...

Album Review

Jerry Granelli: The Jerry Granelli Trio Plays The Music Of Vince Guaraldi & Mose Allison

Read "The Jerry Granelli Trio Plays The Music Of Vince Guaraldi & Mose Allison" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki

by Chris M. Slawecki
January 17, 2021

Drummer Jerry Granelli, bassist Brad Jones and pianist Jamie Saft team in a trio that Plays Vince Guaraldi & Mose Allison to honor two of the most influentially lyrical and bluesy composer-musicians in jazz history. Granelli possesses deep personal insight into both principals. He landed in the drum chair in Vince Guaraldi's trio just as the title track to the pianist's 1962 landmark Cast Your Fate to the Wind was breaking out in the US singles charts and ...

Album Review

Jerry Granelli: The Jerry Granelli Trio Plays The Music Of Vince Guaraldi & Mose Allison

Read "The Jerry Granelli Trio Plays The Music Of Vince Guaraldi & Mose Allison" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
October 18, 2020

Eminent drummer Jerry Granelli leads this covers session where the musicians spin diverse interpretations of largely immortal compositions from yesteryear via telepathic output and a modus operandi framed on an outpouring of fellowship and merriment. As their personalized takes on the late, influential pianists/composers Mose Allison and Vince Guaraldi are executed with assurance and acutely placed detours amid a democratic group-based manifesto. Hence, these positive attributes come as no surprise since the drummer performed extensively with both artists.

Album Review

Jerry Granelli Trio: Plays Vince Guaraldi & Mose Allison

Read "Plays Vince Guaraldi & Mose Allison" reviewed by Neri Pollastri

by Neri Pollastri
September 21, 2020

Prossimo a celebrare gli ottant'anni (li compirà il 30 dicembre prossimo), il batterista Jerry Granelli riprende in mano il materiale di due autori che hanno avuto grande importanza per la sua formazione: il pianista Vince Guaraldi, con il quale collaborò per tre intensi anni all'inizio della sua carriera, e il pianista-cantante Mose Allison, nel cui trio entrò subito dopo, per poi tornare a lavoravi a intervalli numerose volte nel corso dei successivi quarant'anni. E lo fa assieme a due artisti ...

Interview

Jerry Granelli: Updating Music of Past Heroes

by R.J. DeLuke
July 15, 2020

"I've earned the privilege of not playing anything I don't want to play," says drummer Jerry Granelli, whose past is replete with the names of many greats in jazz for whom he supplied rhythmic support—sometimes force—over several decades. “That used to be a fear," he adds, “You figured if you turned something down, the phone would never ring again. But I don't have to worry about that now. I might do something with a young musician. I won't ...

Radio & Podcasts

Jerry Granelli, Lisa Ullén, Rudresh Mahanthappa & Yells At Eels

by Maurice Hogue
July 8, 2020

Drummer extraordinaire Jerry Granelli says he doesn't look back too much, he'd prefer to move forward with his music, but with Jamie Saft and Brad Jones in tow, he decided the time was right to rediscover some of the tunes he played backing Vince Guaraldi and Mose Allison years back. A sample of his new album is a highlight of this episode. Other new albums being sampled come from Swedish pianist Lisa Ullen, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Yells at Eels with Pinkish ...