Dave & Don Grusin Quartet

Tonight’s concert is a rare evening featuring the two pianos of brothers Dave and Don Grusin, both giants of contemporary jazz and both devotees of the western United States having been born in Denver and now living respectively in Santa Fe and Colorado. One of the top ten film scorers of his generation, Dave Grusin is also a renowned jazz artist and founder of the prestigious independent record company GRP (Grusin Rosen Productions). His musical career has been distinguished by his mastery of a diverse range of styles, complemented by a touch on the keyboard that has given him a unique signature as a pianist. Early in his career, he served as the musical director for Andy Williams and played on some of Williams’ best-selling albums. A sideman, arranger, conductor and/or producer for many years, Grusin later turned his focus to composing for the screen and has since written and been honored for countless movie and TV scores, including the The Graduate, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Candy, Tootsie, and the theme for the long-running TV series, St. Elsewhere. Grusin collaborated with film director Sydney Pollack on nine films and was nominated for two Academy Awards for Heaven Can Wait and The Champ. He also wrote Oscar-nominated scores for On Golden Pond, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Milagro Beanfield War for which he won an Oscar. A featured artist with the 1976 Sheffield Labs landmark album Discovered Again and One of a Kind, Grusin’s work set the tone for the fusion jazz movement. In the past decade he has collaborated with Lee Ritenour, won a Grammy in 2003 for his arranging on a James Taylor CD and released his 2004 CD, Now Playing, which features his solo piano work in a collection of his own film themes. Besides his numerous entertainment industry awards and nominations Grusin has also received honorary doctorates from the University of Colorado and Berklee College of Music. The younger brother of Dave, Don Grusin is an American songwriter, producer and keyboardist. He holds a Masters Degree in Economics from the University of Colorado and taught as a Fulbright professor in Mexico and in the U.S. before deciding to enter the music business full-time after joining Quincy Jones’ band for a Japan-U.S. tour in the mid 1970s. The creative sparkplug for the acclaimed fusion ensemble Friendship, Don has recorded and produced scores of albums, including Ernie Watts’ Grammy-winning CD entitled Musican. He received a Grammy nomination for his live contemporary jazz DVD and CD The Hang, and received another Grammy this past year for his contribution to Paul Winter’s CD, Crestone. He also released his CD, Piano in Venice, in 2008— a collection of tunes inspired by the moods and grooves of the Venice CA beach community. The recipient of Colorado University’s Alumni Association’s 2006 George Norlin Award for distinguished lifetime achievement, Don Grusin continues a busy touring and recording schedule, as well as giving music clinics. His multidisciplinary course at the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado, called World Music Video as Catalyst for Social Change, was created to incorporate such diverse fields as economics, music, film, ethnography, journalism, and art to produce videos as educational and marketing tools leading to greater global social awareness and action. Dave and Don Grusin will be joined by Bijoux Barbosa, bass; and Mike Marlier, drums in an evening of solos, duos and quartets.

$45/$35/$30/$20. $5 discount Members & Students (No Member Passes)
Available in advance, by phone or in person, at the Outpost Performance Space (268-0044); Lensic Box Office 505-988-1234; 
or on the web at www.ticketssantafe.org