Articles

Art Ensemble of Chicago, William Tatge & Hans Ludemann

By Maurice Hogue

This episode evokes special memories of my first exposure to the Art Ensemble of Chicago many years ago. I was left in awe at the spectacle, let alone the originality and power of the music. We Are on the Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration, the new release from Pi Recordings brings that concert and much more music by the AEoC to mind. What an amazing and important group they were and still are, thanks to Roscoe Mitchell and Famoudou Don ...

Jerry Granelli: What I Hear Now

By Dan McClenaghan

The simple answer to the question that drummer Jerry Granelli poses on What I Hear Now is “horns." He hears horns over the foundation of his regular trio with saxophonist Dani Oore and bassist Simon Fisk who uses the 3 string bassetto here. The mix is three reeds, including tenor saxophonist Mike Murley, joined by a trombone. Granelli is not an easy guy to put into a compartment. He was part of pianist Vince Guaraldi's trio during the ...

Jerry Granelli: What I Hear Now

By Dan Bilawsky

This is what master drummer Jerry Granelli hears now: a wide variety of left-of-center music that circumvents strict harmonic corralling, thanks to the absence of guitar or piano, and makes good use of multiple horns. Of course, if you catch Granelli a few months down the road, he might hear something completely different. Over the past half a century, Jerry Granelli has been making his mark by being his own man. Who else but a staunch individualist ...

Jerry Granelli V16: Vancouver '08

By Sean Patrick Fitzell

Over 40-plus years as an innovative performer and renowned educator, drummer Jerry Granelli has shown an affinity for the sonic possibilities of paired electric guitars. Since 2003, he's explored this interest in V16, with guitarists David Tronzo and Christian Kogel and his son, electric bassist J. Anthony Granelli. Vancouver '08, their third release, vividly captures their unique sound world--referencing jazz, blues and psychedelic rock, but not beholden to these traditions. The group has forged a collective identity ...

Jerry Granelli V16: Vancouver '08

By Matt Marshall

Jerry Granelli's drums open and close the third release from his V16 outfit, Vancouver '08. In between he mostly sits back and gives ground to electric strings: two guitars and a bass. It's a wise choice. Guitarists Christian Kogel and especially David Tronzo are wizards of the six string. The Live at Ironworks DVD that accompanies this CD provides visual evidence of their tricks. Slide guitarist Tronzo applies not only the traditional steel and glass to his axe, but also ...

Jerry Granelli V16: Vancouver '08

By Glenn Astarita

This 2009 and third release by drummer Jerry Granelli's dual-guitar band, features a DVD, Live At Ironworks, which documents the unit's Vancouver performance, used as a vehicle for working through the material on this album. Known for their loose developments and improvisational acumen, this studio set highlights the musicians' unhurried and textural approach to the grand schema.

Granelli is an accelerator and colorist. He paints the background via delicate cymbal swashes and rolling tom fills, while electric slide ...

Jerry Granelli: Groovemaster or Destroyer?

By Paul Olson

It's easy to mention drummer Jerry Granelli's accomplishments, but hard to really make clear his importance, or the way he's continuously, over forty years, been at the forefront of most of the innovations and new movements in jazz music.Granelli grew up in San Francisco and made his mark drumming for pianists Vince Guaraldi and Denny Zeitlin. Guaraldi's trio with Granelli and bassist Fred Marshall and Zeitlin's trio with Granelli and bassist Charlie Haden were top-tier, big-gig jazz groups, ...