JERRY GRANELLI - A Song I Thought I Heard Buddy Sing CD

JERRY GRANELLI - A Song I Thought I Heard Buddy Sing CD

featuring ROBBEN FORD, BILLE FRISELL, KENNY GARRETT, JULIAN PRIESTER, ANTHONY COX

Drummer Jerry Granelli was born in San Francisco and first got noticed as a musician while drumming in Vince Guaraldi's and Denny Zeitlin's trios. By the early '60s, he was playing free jazz as well. Inspired by Tibetan Buddhism, Granelli moved to Boulder, CO, in 1976 to start a music department at Naropa Institute, where he was co-director until 1980 when he went to teach at a Seattle college. In the early '80s, Granelli played in a trio with Ralph Towner and Gary Peacock after which he began recording as a leader, first for the label ITM, and then for Intuition. The life of legendary (but unrecorded) jazz trumpeter Buddy Bolden is aurally covered through a 10-track, four-part set that sequences songs according to movements; Bolden's world, journey, memories, and an epilogue are the settings, with an interesting lineup that includes torrid alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, Bill Frisell playing banjo as well as guitar, trombonist Julian Priester, guitarist Robben Ford, and bassist Anthony Cox. It is not strictly traditional New Orleans jazz nor merely reflective or commemorative fare, but an aggressive musical commentary on the Bolden legend.

1 Wanderlust (Duke Ellington) 7:40
2 Smoky Row 0:39
3 The Oyster Dance 5:02
4 Billie's Bounce 6:20
5 Coming Through Slaughter 9:26
6 In That Number6:02
7 Prelude to Silence: Shell Beach/Lincoln Park 5:06