Don Grolnick
American jazz musician (1947–1996) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American jazz musician (1947–1996) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Don Grolnick (September 23, 1947 – June 1, 1996) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and record producer. He was a member of the groups Steps Ahead and Dreams, both with Michael Brecker, and played often with the Brecker Brothers. As a session musician, he recorded with John Scofield, Billy Cobham, Roberta Flack, Harry Chapin, Dave Holland, Bette Midler, Marcus Miller, Bob Mintzer, Linda Ronstadt, David Sanborn, Carly Simon, JD Souther, Steely Dan, and James Taylor.[1]
Grolnick was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Levittown, New York, the only child of Muriel Grolnick (1927–1997) and Lester Grolnick (1922–2009). Grolnick was Jewish. He began his musical life on accordion but later switched to piano. His interest in jazz began as a child when his father took him to a Count Basie concert, and soon after they also saw Erroll Garner perform at Carnegie Hall. He attended Tufts University with a major in philosophy.
After he left Tufts, he formed the jazz-rock band Fire & Ice with Ken Melville on guitar and Stuart Schulman, his friend since childhood, on bass guitar. They were the opening act for B.B. King, The Jeff Beck Group, and the Velvet Underground at Boston clubs like the Boston Tea Party and The Ark. This was Grolnick's first foray into rock and blues as a performer, and he began to write within the medium as well. Grolnick moved back to New York in 1969 and joined Melville in the jazz fusion band "D". He toured with Linda Ronstadt in 1977 and again in 1984 when she was performing American standards with Nelson Riddle and his orchestra. In their liner notes to the 1999 reissue of The Royal Scam, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker state "...Don Grolnick keyboard vamps so solid you could set your watch by them."[2]
Grolnick died at the age of 48 on June 1, 1996 from Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. His cremated remains are interred in the columbarium at Fort Hill Cemetery in Montauk, New York.
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Hearts and Numbers | Windham Hill | With Michael Brecker (tenor sax), Jeff Mironov, Hiram Bullock and Bob Mann (guitar), Will Lee, Marcus Miller and Tom Kennedy (bass), Peter Erskine and Steve Jordan (drums) |
| 1990 | Weaver of Dreams | Blue Note | Septet, with Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, Bob Mintzer, Dave Holland, Peter Erskine, Barry Rogers |
| 1992 | Nighttown | Blue Note | With Randy Brecker (trumpet), Steve Turre (trombone), Joe Lovano (tenor sax), Marty Ehrlich (bass clarinet), Dave Holland (bass), Bill Stewart (drums) |
| 1995? | Medianoche | Warner Bros. | With Michael Brecker (tenor sax), Dave Valentin (flute), Mike Mainieri (vibes), Andy Gonzalez (bass), Don Alias, Steve Berrios and Milton Cardona (percussion) |
| 1995 | London Concert | Fuzzy Music | With Randy Brecker (trumpet), Robin Eubanks (trombone), Marty Ehrlich (alto sax, bass clarinet), Michael Brecker (tenor sax), Peter Washington (bass), Peter Erskine (drums), Don Alias (percussion); in concert |
| 1997 | Don Grolnick - The complete Blue Note Recordings | Blue Note | With with Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Bob Mintzer, Dave Holland, Peter Erskine, Bill Stewart and others |
With Brecker Brothers
With Dreams
With Steps Ahead
With Gato Barbieri
With Joe Beck
With George Benson
With Ron Carter
With Peter Erskine
With Steve Khan
With Melissa Manchester
With Bob Mintzer
With Esther Phillips
With Bonnie Raitt
With Linda Ronstadt
With David Sanborn
With John Scofield
With Don Sebesky
With Carly Simon
With Steely Dan
With James Taylor
With John Tropea
With others
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