Jazz Articles about J. A. Granelli

J.A. Granelli: Homing

by AAJ Italy Staff
January 29, 2007

J. Anthony Granelli si dimostra sempre più pronto a raccogliere il testimone dal padre, quel Jerry Granelli che rappresenta una delle figure più enigmatiche ed affascinati della scena jazzistica statunitense. Entrambi sembrano incapaci di rimanere all’interno delle linee guida che gli stili musicali vorrebbero tracciare e si danno da fare per spezzare catene, aprire spiragli, mischiare ingredienti, trovare un proprio mondo, una propria 'casa'. Con questo gruppo denominato ‘Mr. Lucky’ il giovane Granelli aveva già dato ampi segnali di voler ...

J.A. Granelli and Mr. Lucky: Homing

by Matt Cibula
January 14, 2007

J.A. Granelli is a bassist of great subtlety; his backing band, Mr. Lucky, is small and versatile. This album contains nine pieces that range from alt.countrified jazz (or jazzified alt.country, not quite sure there) to New Orleans-ish funky-esque strut to straight-ahead blues-ish atmospherical soft-leaning fusiony I-don't-know-what.

As you can tell, it's kinda hard to categorize. I would not be surprised to find some Bill Frisell in Granelli's CD collection; but I'd also anticipate some Grateful Dead, some Mark Knopfler, a ...

J.A. Granelli and Mr. Lucky: Homing

by John Kelman
December 25, 2006

Bassist J.A. Granelli's Mr. Lucky may be a totally revamped lineup from the group that released Gigantic (Love Slave, 2004), but its philosophy remains the same. Homing lives in a place somewhere between Ry Cooder's loose, pre-Buena Vista Social Club work and Bill Frisell's Good Dog, Happy Man, a collection of roots-oriented material that's about groove and a collective sound more than any one person's contribution. Still, while the album has nothing to do with overt virtuosity, its emotional honesty ...

J.A. Granelli and Mr. Lucky: Gigantic

by Dan McClenaghan
April 7, 2004

The words “surf's up" keep coming to mind when I listen to bassist J.A. Granelli and Mr. Lucky's Gigantic. Though it may seem an odd comparison, the music here has that rough-around-the-edges groove mode of long ago guitar/organ-based surf music, a very early sixties (pre-Beatles) Southern California type of garage rock. These minor hit records from regional instrumental groups served as soundtracks for 8mm surf documentary movie makers who traveled from high school gym to local community centers with their ...

J.A. Granelli and Mr. Lucky: Gigantic

by Jerry D'Souza
March 10, 2004

The music that J.A. Granelli and Mr. Lucky make has nothing to do with jazz. That does not matter, for they serve up dollops of music that tantalizes and captivates even in the quietest moments.

Granelli balances the structure of the album very well as he brings in different moods to keep the snare secure. One of the most beautiful tunes is the title track on which he plays the piccolo bass and David Tronzo cuts a deep ...

J.A. Granelli and Mr. Lucky: Gigantic

by Michael P. Gladstone
March 4, 2004

This is not going to be an album for everyone, but here are some potential candidates: listeners who feel that smooth jazz is too limited and without any real pulse rockers who are tired of the same old licks and Top 40 syndrome the disenchanted who yearn for music that's better suited than mainstream jazz for parties musical adventurers who pride themselves on always looking beyond the obvious and wish to explore some fresh, cutting edge music.

J.A. Granelli and Mr. Lucky: Gigantic

by John Kelman
February 24, 2004

What is jazz? Does anyone know anymore? When Bill Frisell won Downbeat's Album of the Year award a few years back for Nashville--an album that was long on Americana and bluegrass and, at least on initial inspection, short on the things that most people tended to associate with jazz--the landscape had clearly changed.

And that's not a bad thing. What really defines jazz is the improvisational spirit; not just someone soloing over a band mind you, but a ...