Don Grusin (born April 22, 1941) is an American jazz keyboardist, composer, and record producer. He is the younger brother of

Dave Grusin Robert David "Dave" Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record w ...

Career

Don Grusin grew up in

Littleton, Colorado Littleton is a home rule municipality city located in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties, Colorado, United States. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Stati ...

. His father, a native of

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

, was a classical violinist. His brother, Dave Grusin, is a pianist, record producer, and co-founder of GRP Records. Grusin graduated from the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...

with a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's degree in economics. In the early 1970s, he was an economics professor in

Guadalajara, Mexico Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalajar ...

. Soon after, he taught economics at

Foothill College Foothill College is a public community college in Los Altos Hills, California. It is part of the Foothill–De Anza Community College District. It was founded on January 15, 1957, and offers 79 Associate degree programs, 1 Bachelor's degree ...

in California. Grusin performed in Bogota, Colombia, as a member of Azteca, a Latin jazz fusion band led by

Pete Escovedo Peter Michael Escovedo (born July 13, 1935 in Pittsburg, California) is an American percussionist. "Pete Escovedo Biography & Awards"/ref> With his two brothers, Pete formed Escovedo Bros Latin Jazz Sextet, before Carlos Santana hired Pete and ...

that included Escovedo's daughter, drummer Sheila E. The trip sparked a lifelong interest in Latin music. In 1975,

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

invited him to tour with his band, and Grusin was persuaded to leave teaching for a career in music. He worked as a

studio musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a t ...

on albums by

Randy Crawford Veronica "Randy" Crawford (born February 18, 1952) is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as a solo artist. However, she has ap ...

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

Joe Pass Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...

, and

the Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American pop and R&B singing group from Oakland, California, that achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Their repertoire has included such diverse genres as pop, jazz, electronic music, bebop, bl ...

. He formed the fusion group Friendship with

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in Los Angeles, California, United States. At the age of eight he started play ...

Ernie Watts Ernest James Watts (born October 23, 1945) is an American jazz and rhythm and blues saxophonist who plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. He has worked with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and toured with the Rolling Stones. On Frank Zappa ...

, and

Alex Acuña Alejandro Neciosup Acuña (born December 12, 1944), known professionally as Alex Acuña, is a Peruvian-American drummer and percussionist. Background Born in Pativilca, Peru, Acuña played in local bands such as La Orquesta de los Hermanos Nec ...

and recorded one album, then released solo albums in 1981 and 1983. In 1985, he produced the album ''Musician'' for Ernie Watts, and it won a Grammy Award. Grusin's live album ''The Hang'' (Sovereign Artists, 2004) received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nomination, and he won Grammy Awards for his work on two albums by the

Paul Winter Paul Winter (born August 31, 1939) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He is a pioneer of world music and earth music, which interweaves the voices of the wild with instrumental voices from classical, jazz and world music. The ...

Consort. He won an

Echo Award Echo Music Prize (stylised as ECHO, ) was an accolade by the , an association of recording companies of Germany to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The first ECHO Awards ceremony was held in 1992, and it was set up to hono ...

for the album ''Quality Time'', recorded with Peter Fessler. As a record producer or keyboardist, Grusin has worked with

Gerald Albright Gerald Albright is an American jazz saxophonist. He earned Grammys for 24/7 in 2012 and Slam Dunk in 2014 and has been nominated for New Beginnings in 2008 and for Sax for Stax in 2009. Biography Born in Los Angeles, Albright grew up in its ...

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

, David Benoit,

Larry Carlton Larry Eugene Carlton (born March 2, 1948) is an American guitarist who built his career as a studio musician in the 1970s and 1980s for acts such as Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. He has participated in thousands of recording sessions, recorded ...

Oscar Castro-Neves Oscar Castro-Neves (May 15, 1940 - September 27, 2013), was a Brazilian guitarist, arranger, and composer who is considered a founding figure in bossa nova. Biography He was born in Rio de Janeiro as one of triplets and formed a band with his br ...

Dori Caymmi Dorival "Dori" Tostes Caymmi (born 26 August 1943) is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, guitarist, arranger, and producer. Biography Caymmi was born in Rio de Janeiro to parents who were musicians, his father Dorival Caymmi a composer and his mot ...

Gilberto Gil Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration ...

, Jim Hall,

Sérgio Mendes Sérgio Santos Mendes (; born February 11, 1941) is a Brazilian musician. His career took off with worldwide hits by his group Brasil '66. He has over 55 releases and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk. He was nominated for ...

Airto Moreira Airto Guimorvan Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. He is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. Coming to prominence in the late 1960s as a member of the B ...

Milton Nascimento Milton Nascimento (; born October 26, 1942), also known as Bituca, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has toured across the world. Nascimento has won five Grammy Awards, including Best World Music Album for his alb ...

Flora Purim Flora Purim (born March 6, 1942) is a Brazilian jazz singer known primarily for her work in the jazz fusion style. She became prominent for her part in Return to Forever with Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke. She has recorded and performed with ...

Nelson Rangell Nelson Rangell (born March 26, 1960) is an American smooth jazz musician and composer from Castle Rock, Colorado. Although he is known for his work with the tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone, his primary instrument is the piccolo, which he beg ...

Brenda Russell Brenda Russell (née Gordon; born April 8, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and keyboardist. Russell has a diverse musical range which encompasses R&B, pop, soul, dance, and jazz. She has received five Grammy nominations. Lif ...

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

Leon Ware Leon Ware (February 16, 1940 – February 23, 2017) was an American songwriter, producer, composer, and singer. Besides a solo career as a performer, Ware was best known for producing hits for other artists including Michael Jackson, Quincy ...

, and Sadao Watanabe.

Discography

As leader

* ''10k–LA'' (

JVC JVC (short for Japan Victor Company) is a Japanese brand owned by JVCKenwood corporation. Founded in 1927 as the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan and later as , the company is best known for introducing Japan's first televisions and for ...

, 1981) * ''Don Grusin'' (JVC, 1983) * ''

Sticks and Stones "Sticks and Stones" is an English-language children's rhyme. The rhyme is used as a defense against name-calling and verbal bullying, intended to increase resiliency, avoid physical retaliation, and/or to remain calm and indifferent. The full rh ...

'' ( GRP, 1988) * ''Raven'' (GRP, 1990) * ''Zephyr'' (GRP, 1991) * ''No Borders'' (GRP, 1992) * ''Native Land'' (GRP, 1993) * ''Banana Fish'' (GRP, 1994) * ''Laguna Cove'' (Don Grusin Music, 1998) * ''Traveling Fancy'' (Floreria/Nippon Crown, 2004) * ''The Hang'' (Sovereign, 2004) * ''Better Than Christmas'' with Natali Rene (Nati, 2004) * ''Old Friends and Relatives'' (Video Arts Music, 2005) * ''Geography'' with Bill Sharpe (JVC, 2006) * ''Piano in Venice'' (JVC, 2008) * ''One Night Only'' with Dave Grusin (CARE Music Group, 2011) * ''Trans Atlántica'' with Bill Sharpe (Universal Music of Japan, 2012) * ''Quality Time'' with Peter Fessler (CARE, 2013) * ''Out of Thin Air'' (Octave Records, 2020)

As sideman

With

* ''Musician'' (

Qwest Qwest Communications International, Inc. was a United States telecommunications carrier. Qwest provided local service in 14 western and midwestern U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dako ...

, 1985) * ''Sanctuary'' (Qwest, 1986) With

* ''Maracuja'' (JVC, 1989) * ''Tropical Heart'' (JVC, 1993) * ''All One'' ( Mack Avenue, 2006) With

* ''Dori Caymmi'' (Elektra, 1988) * ''Brazilian Serenata'' (Qwest, 1991) * ''Kicking Cans'' (Qwest, 1993) With Ricardo Silveira * ''Sky Light'' ( Verve, 1989) * ''Amazon Secrets'' (Verve, 1990) With Sadao Watanabe * ''Maisha'' (Elektra, 1985) * ''Sweet Deal'' (Elektra, 1991) With

Eric Marienthal Eric Marienthal (born December 19, 1957) is a Grammy Award-nominated Los Angeles-based contemporary saxophonist best known for his work in the jazz, jazz fusion, smooth jazz, and pop genres. Early life Eric Marienthal was born on December 19, 1 ...

* ''Round Trip'' (GRP, 1989) * '' Easy Street'' (Verve/Polygram, 1997) With Tom Browne * ''

Browne Sugar ''Browne Sugar'' is the debut album by Tom Browne. It was released in 1979 on the GRP Records and reached number six on the Jazz Album chart in 1979. Track listing #"Throw Down" ( Tom Browne) – 3:56 #"I Never Was a Cowboy" (Dave Grus ...

'' (Arista/GRP, 1985) * ''Funkin' for Jamaica'' (Phantom Sound & Vision, 2002) With

Lorraine Feather Lorraine Feather (born Billie Jane Lee Lorraine Feather; September 10, 1948) is an American singer, lyricist, and songwriter. Early life A native of Manhattan, she was born to jazz writer Leonard Feather and his wife Jane, a former big band si ...

* ''The Body Remembers'' (Bean Bag, 1997) * ''Cafe Society'' (

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

, 2003) With

Shakatak Shakatak is an English jazz-funk band founded in 1980 by Nigel Wright and former Wigan Casino DJ Kev Roberts. Following an initial white label release 'Steppin', the band's name was derived from a record store in Soho, London Record Shack. I ...

* ''Full Circle'' (Inside Out Music, 1994) * ''Across the World'' (Secret, 2011) With others * ''I Never Was a Cowboy'', Kenji Omura and

Kazumi Watanabe is a Japanese guitarist. Other guitarists such as Luke Takamura and Sugizo have cited him as an influence. Career Watanabe learned guitar at the age of 12 from Sadanori Nakamure at the Yamaha Music School in Tokyo. He released his first album ...

( Alfa, 1978) * ''Momento Brasileiro'',

(

Som Livre Som Livre (Portuguese for "''Free Sound''") is a Brazilian record company that was founded in 1969 in order to commercialize its soap opera soundtracks. It later expanded to recording studio albums. Today, Som Livre is Brazil's largest domestic l ...

, 1979) * ''Friendship'' ( Elektra, 1979) * '' Feel the Night'',

(Elektra, 1979) * ''Nightingale'',

(WEA International, 1979) * ''Whistling Midgets'', Dan Dean and Tom Collier (

Inner City The term ''inner city'' has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Sociologists some ...

, 1981) * ''4x4'', Casiopea (1982) * ''Champion'',

Tom Jans Tom Jans (February 9, 1948 – March 25, 1984) was an American folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from San Jose, California. He is perhaps best known for his song "Loving Arms" (also known as "Lovin' Arms"), which was recorded initially by K ...

(

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affi ...

, 1982) * ''Maybe'', Yasuko Agawa (JVC, 1983) * '' Two Eyes'',

( Warner Bros., 1983) * ''TV'', Mari Nakamoto (JVC, 1984) * '' Whitestone'',

(

Pablo Pablo is a Spanish form of the name Paul. People *Pablo Alborán, Spanish singer *Pablo Aimar, Argentine footballer * Pablo Armero, Colombian footballer * Pablo Bartholomew, Indian photojournalist * Pablo Brandán, Argentine footballer * Pablo Br ...

, 1985) * ''Yauaretê'',

(

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

, 1987) * ''Vício'', Simone (Columbia Brasil, 1987) * ''Wait for Me'',

Kate Markowitz Catherine Judith "Kate" Markowitz (Born 28 April 1956) is an American singer-songwriter known as a backup singer who has recorded and performed with a number of singers, most notably James Taylor but also Willy DeVille, Shawn Colvin, Mylène Far ...

and Christine Trulio (Pony Canyon, 1989) * '' Urban Daydreams'', David Benoit (GRP, 1989) * ''

Love Is Gonna Getcha ''Love Is Gonna Getcha'' is the eighth studio album by American singer Patti Austin, released in 1990, and recorded for the GRP label. The album reached No. 4 on '' Billboard'' Jazz chart. Track listing #"Through the Test of Time" ( David Pack, ...

'',

(GRP, 1990) * ''Dear Friends'',

Abraham Laboriel Abraham Laboriel López Sr. (born July 17, 1947) is a Mexican-American bassist who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. ''Guitar Player'' magazine called him "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the f ...

(Mesa/Bluemoon, 1993) * ''

Forbidden Fruit Forbidden fruit is a name given to the fruit growing in the Garden of Eden which God commands mankind not to eat. In the biblical story, Adam and Eve eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and are exiled from Eden. As a ...

'',

Marion Meadows Marion Meadows is an American soprano saxophonist and composer, mainly in smooth jazz. He was born in West Virginia and grew up mainly in Connecticut. His first album as a leader was ''For Lovers Only'' in 1990. He has had several other commerci ...

( Novus, 1994) * ''Moments'', Hiroko Kokubu (JVC, 1995) * ''Ratamacue'',

Harvey Mason Harvey William Mason (born February 22, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, record producer, and member of the band Fourplay. Mason, who attended Berklee in the 1960s, received an Honorary Doctorate at Berklee's 2015 Commencement Ceremony ...

(

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, 1996) * ''Here in My Heart'', Kenny Rankin (

Private Music Private Music was an American independent record label founded in 1984 by musician Peter Baumann as a "home for instrumental music". Baumann signed Ravi Shankar, Yanni, Suzanne Ciani, Andy Summers, Patrick O'Hearn, Leo Kottke, and his former ba ...

, 1997) * ''State of the Heart'', Bill Sharpe (Instinct, 1998) * ''Tocando Tierra'', Frank Quintero (Latin World Entertainment Group, 1999) * ''Princess T'', Naoko Terai (Video Arts Music, 2000) * ''

Speak No Evil ''Speak No Evil'' is the sixth album by Wayne Shorter. It was released in June 1966 by Blue Note Records. The music combines elements of hard bop and modal jazz, and features Shorter on tenor saxophone, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Herbie H ...

'',

(

Narada Narada ( sa, नारद, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage divinity, famous in Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of mind-created children of Brahma, the creator god. He ...

, 2003) * ''30 Miles'', Natali Rene (Nati, 2006)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grusin, Don 1941 births Living people American jazz pianists American male pianists People from the Denver metropolitan area Smooth jazz pianists University of Colorado alumni 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Paul Winter Consort members