Father and son team, Jerry and Jay Granelli, have toured and recorded with the whose who of the Canadian and American improvisation scene. Gary Peacock, Ralph Towner, David Tronzo, Bill Frisell, Anthony Cox, Robin Ford, Jamie Saft, Art Lande, Vince Guaraldi Trio, Charlie Haden, etc. among many others. Joining them, long time musical collaborators Simon Fisk and Gordon Grdina. This is a coming together of a musical aesthetic.
The music of Structures is a collaborative effort, though formally composed by Fisk the forms are merely foundations for improvised structures. With influences drawn from a broad variety of arena's, it is about a collective listening and understanding. The music is adventurous, creative, free stuff with transitions of improvising held together by form of composition. A delicate balance of liberty and design that results in thrilling music. Tom Waits, hymns/spirituals and folk, to traditional Arabic music and the downtown New York scene, this is music coming from a group of artists with a worldly understanding of music held together by the common thread of intent.
SIMON FISK
Simon Fisk, born November 27, 1970, is a jazz bassist who has recorded and performed extensively since the early 1990's. He has worked primarily in the piano trio format with pianist Chris Gestrin, and most recently Jerry Granelli on drums. His most consistent output over the years has taken place in that format, due in no small part to the rapport between the three musicians, and the constant creative inspiration he receives from Gestrin and Granelli.
Since 2002, Fisk has released six CD's as a leader on the Plunge Records label. The recordings entitled 'Trainwrecks', 'Intent', 'You and Yours', 'Calm Abide', 'Vague hotels', and 'Unless' have received various award nominations including two WCMA nominations for outstanding Jazz Recordings (2004 & 2007), and two Leo Awards for Best Video (A Better Day 2005). Fisk's trio recordings have top Jazz Charts across Canada, Australia, Europe, and have garnered very positive feedback from reviewers. The latest release, 'Vague Hotels' has entered the Trio into a new arena, with airplay and sales rising high across Australia, and Japan, Fisk is in the midst of booking a tour of Japan (2010).
A new trio disc featuring Jerry Granelli and Chris Gestrin will be released in May 2009, entitled 'Unless'. On top of all his own projects, Fisk appears on recordings with Gerry Hebert (Constructive Interference 2008), Chris Gestrin (Poor Boy, The Songs of Nick Drake, Songlines Recordings 2005), Gordon Grdina (Grdina Trio, Plunge Records 2003), as well as a number of singer-songwriter records (Jennifer Lauren, One Trick Pony).
"Mingus at his best! Play on brother!" Keith West The Fusion Intrusion show KVMR in Nevada City
"This is one of the most beautifully crafted Jazz CD's I have had the pleasure of receiving for some time. The musicians who feature on this work are among the most talented in their field. Their superb arrangements and beautiful phrasing combine to present a stylish contemporary recording that is gold class. I long to hear more from this band and will feature tracks from this glorious recording on my national jazz program "A Jazz Hour" which is heard nationally each week across Australia via the CBAA network." Barry O'Sullivan-Producer/Presenter A Jazz Hour
''Really top drawer jazz...Compelling listening." Richard Good, Radio One 91 FM
"Excellent! What more can I say?...brilliant!" David Kowalski, DJ Jippers
"Simply fantastic. I don't know what else to say about this disc!". Jason Wellwood CILU 102.7 FM
"...beautiful, forthcoming, and challenging...a recording that begs repeated listening...one can only hope that this group records more music as they continue to challenge musical boundaries." Randy McElligot
"Simply superlative. World class. I'll place this on the good-stuff CD shelf right next to Ron Carter and Buster Williams. Sweet, soulful and spellbinding. When you play New York, let me know."
Frank Matheis, WKZE 98.1 FM in NY/CT/Mass.
JERRY GRANELLI
Halifax-based percussionist-composer Jerry Granelli grew up in San Francisco where he studied with Joe Morello and drummed for pianists Denny Zeitlin and Vince Guaraldi (he's on A Charlie Brown Christmas - on Fantasy Records and the Charlie Brown TV soundtracks). He pioneered world jazz fusion and electro-acoustic percussion during the 60's hippie era, established the music department at the Naropa Institute in Boulder in '76, and has had a continuous teaching career since then in Boulder, Seattle, Halifax and Berlin. In the early '80s he performed and recorded in a trio with Ralph Towner and Gary Peacock for ECM. He has recorded as a leader for Evidence, Intuition, ITM, Koch, Love Slave and other labels, and performed and recorded with longtime musical associates Mose Allison, Jay Clayton, Jane Ira Bloom, Glen Moore, Anthony Cox, Dave Friedman, and Jamie Saft, as well as projects with Bill Frisell, Robben Ford, Julian Priester, Charlie Haden, Kenny Garrett, and Buck 64.
J. ANTHONY GRANELLI
J. Anthony Granelli is a native of northern California. He began to study electric bass at the age of eight from San Francisco Bassist /instrument pioneer Fred Marshall. In his teens Granelli moved to Seattle Washington where he preformed with Jay Clayton, Jerry Granelli, Julian Priester, and was a founding member of the critically acclaimed group Timebone.??Granelli received a BFA in Jazz Studies from California Institute of the Arts in 1991. At Cal Arts he explored creating a personal vocabulary of jazz improvisation while studying with Charlie Haden, and performing with John Bergamo and Miroslav Tadic. Granelli completed a Master degree at NYU in Jazz Composition in 2006. At NYU he studied with Gil Goldstein, George Garzone, Kenny Werner and Joe Bongiorno??Granelli now resides in New York City where he composes, and plays actively in a wide variety of musical situations, including his critically acclaimed quartet Mr. Lucky, and the sinister Ez Pour Spout. He also contributes the low end to the David Tronzo Trio, Jim Campilongo Trio, Briggan Krauss's Fuzz Fill, Crunch Trio with Peter Epstein and David Tronzo, New York country rock stars the Jack Grace Band and Joe Gallant's Chang Diaz. He has also recorded and toured with Mose Allison, Canadian turntable wizard Buck 65, Jerry Granelli's Badlands project and the "Buddy Bolden band" featuring John Abercrombie, Anthony Cox, Bill Frisell, and Jane Ira Bloom.
GORDON GRDINA
Gordon Grdina is a Vancouver based Oud/Guitarist whose sound is a combination of his interests in mainstream jazz, free-form improvisation and Arabic classical music.
A protégé of jazz great Gary Peacock, he is a well respected contributor to the jazz and world music scenes constantly being sought out for projects that need a fresh sound.
Songlines has just released "Think Like the Waves" a special SACD that is the culmination of all of Gordon 's artistic endeavors. The band is Gary Peacock - Bass, Paul Motian -Drums and Gordon Grdina -Guitar & Oud.
His main touring ensemble Box Cutter is a genre bending modern Jazz quartet featuring François Houle. They Have just signed a two CD deal with Spool and will be releasing their debut CD "Unlearn" in October 2006
East Van Strings is a guitar/oud, violin, viola and cello quartet that is inspired by Bartok, Berg and Arabic Taqasim. The other members of the ensemble are Jesse Zubot, Peggy Lee, and Eyvind Kang. They are touring and recording in December for an early 2007 CD debut.
He plays the Oud in the Arabic/Persian/Indian ensemble Sangha. They are touring in support of their debut CD "Omid" and preparing to record with Virtuoso Persian Classical and Balouchi singer Fatieth Honari.
Maqam an oud, violin, bass, and percussion ensemble explores Iraqi folk melodies from a contemporary improvisational perspective. They are performing locally in preparation for their CD.
As a freelance musician Gordon has performed or recorded with Eyvind Kang, Paul Motian, Gary Peacock, John Stowell, Francois Houle, Jesse Zubot, Chuck Isreals, Reza Honari, Amir Haghighi, Andy Milne, Mariam Matossian, Kate Hammett-Vaughan, Chris Gestrin, Karin Plato, Quinsin Nachofff, Peggy Lee, and Dylan Van der Schyff.
Quotes
…Grdina is a voracious listener drawing on Arabic Classical music, contemporary jazz, and open improv…everything moves in endless cycles of interaction…there's something revelatory about the album's unflinching hypnotic core…"
Greg Buium (Downbeat)