Danny Grissett (born 1975) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

pianist, keyboardist, and composer.

Early life

Grissett was born in Los Angeles in 1975. He first played the piano at the age of five, taking classical music lessons. He graduated with a B.A. in Music Education from

California State University, Dominguez Hills California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH, CSU Dominguez Hills, or Cal State Dominguez Hills) is a public university in Carson, California. It was founded in 1960 and is part of the California State University (CSU) system. In 2020, ...

, then completed a two-year master's degree in jazz performance in 2000 at the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

followed by studies at the Thelonious Monk Institute at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

Thornton School of Music The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1884 only four years after the University of Southern California, the Thornton School is the oldest continually operating arts institution in Los An ...

Later life and career

After playing around Los Angeles he moved to New York City in 2003. He became trumpeter

Nicholas Payton Nicholas Payton (born September 26, 1973) is an American trumpet player and multi-instrumentalist. A Grammy Award winner, he is from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is also a prolific and provocative writer who comments on a multitude of subjects, inc ...

's keyboardist early the following year, and has been a regular member of trumpeter

Tom Harrell Tom Harrell (born June 16, 1946) is an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer, and arranger. Voted Trumpeter of the Year of 2018 by ''Jazz Journalists Association'', Harrell has won awards and grants throughout his career, including mul ...

's band since 2005. Grissett released his first album as a leader in 2006, on the Criss Cross label, for whom he has continued to record. ''Promise'' and his following album, ''Encounters'', were trio recordings with Vicente Archer (bass) and

Kendrick Scott Kendrick Scott (born July 8, 1980 in Houston, Texas, United States) is an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. He is the founder of the record label World Culture Music. Biography Kendrick A.D. Scott was born and raised in Houston. ...

(drums). His next album, ''Form'', from 2008, added saxophonist

Seamus Blake Seamus Blake (born December 8, 1970) is a British-born Canadian tenor saxophonist. Early life and education Blake was born in London, England and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His mother introduced him to jazz when he was a c ...

, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, and trombonist

Steve Davis Steve Davis (born 22 August 1957) is an English retired professional snooker player who is currently a commentator, musician, DJ, and author. He is best known for dominating professional snooker during the 1980s, when he reached eight World S ...

to the trio.

Playing style

A ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' reviewer in 2010 commented that Grissett employed "strategies drawn from

Mulgrew Miller Mulgrew Miller (August 13, 1955 – May 29, 2013) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. As a child he played in churches and was influenced on piano by Ramsey Lewis and then Oscar Peterson. Aspects of their styles remained i ...

, Herbie Hancock and

Sonny Clark Conrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark (July 21, 1931 – January 13, 1963) was an American jazz pianist and composer who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom. Early life Clark was born and raised in Herminie, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town east of Pi ...

to tell cogent stories that carry his own harmonic and rhythmic signature."

Discography

An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

References

External links

*
An extended analysis of a Grissett performance
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grissett, Danny 1975 births American jazz pianists American male pianists California Institute of the Arts alumni California State University, Dominguez Hills alumni Jazz musicians from California Living people 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians The New Jazz Composers Octet members Criss Cross Jazz artists