Grachan Moncur III (June 3, 1937 – June 3, 2022) was 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 major ...

trombonist. He was the son of jazz bassist

Grachan Moncur II Grachan Moncur II (sometimes credited as Grachan Moncur, born September 2, 1915 – November 3, 1996) was an American jazz bassist with the Savoy Sultans. Early life Moncur was a multi-instrumentalist as a teenager, learning trombone, tuba, an ...

and the nephew of jazz saxophonist

Al Cooper Lofton Alfonso Cooper (1911 – October 5, 1981) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist. He founded the Savoy Sultans and was their leader from 1937 to 1946. He was the half-brother of Grachan Moncur II Grachan Moncur II (sometimes ...

Biography

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, United States, (his paternal grandfather was from the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

)Sean Singer & Grachan Moncur III
"The Soul of Trombone — Grachan Moncur III"
''Cerise Press'', Vol. 4, Issue 10, Summer 2012. and raised in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

at the age of nine, and switched to the

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

when he was 11. In high school, he attended the

Laurinburg Institute Laurinburg Institute is a historic African American preparatory school in Laurinburg, North Carolina. The school was founded in 1904 by Emmanuel Monty and Tinny McDuffie at the request of Booker T. Washington. Emmanuel McDuffie was a graduate ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, the private school where

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

had studied. While still at school, he began sitting in with touring jazz musicians on their way through town, including

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

and

Jackie McLean John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their deat ...

, with whom he formed a lasting friendship. After high school, Moncur toured with

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

(1959–62),

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, double ...

and

Benny Golson Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a performer, before launch ...

's Jazztet (1962), and

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...

. He took part in two

albums for

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

in 1963, ''

One Step Beyond One Step Beyond may refer to: Music * ''One Step Beyond'' (Dungeon album) or the title song, 2004 * ''One Step Beyond'' (Jackie McLean album), 1963 * '' One Step Beyond...'', an album by Madness, or the title song (see below), 1979 * ''One Step ...

'' and '' Destination... Out!'', to which he also contributed the bulk of compositions. He recorded two albums of his own for Blue Note, ''

Evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

'' (1963) with Jackie McLean and

Lee Morgan Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s, Morgan came to prominence in his late teens, recording on John Coltrane's '' Blue Train'' (1 ...

, and ''

Some Other Stuff ''Some Other Stuff'' is the second album by American trombonist Grachan Moncur III recorded in 1964 and released on the Blue Note label in 1965.

'' (1964) with

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

and

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Davi ...

. Moncur joined

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

's ensemble, and recorded with other

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

players such as

Marion Brown Marion Brown (September 8, 1931 – October 18, 2010) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, writer, visual artist, and ethnomusicologist. He was a member of the avant-garde jazz scene in New York City during the 1960s, playing alongs ...

Beaver Harris William Godvin "Beaver" Harris (April 20, 1936 – December 22, 1991) was an American jazz drummer who worked extensively with Archie Shepp. Early life Harris was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Coming from an athletic family, he played basebal ...

and

Roswell Rudd Roswell Hopkins Rudd Jr. (November 17, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American jazz trombonist and composer. Although skilled in a variety of genres of jazz (including Dixieland, which he performed while in college), and other genres of musi ...

(another

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians during ...

trombonist). During a stay in Paris in the summer of 1969, he recorded two albums as a leader for the BYG Actuel label, '' New Africa'' and ''Aco Dei de Madrugada'', as well as appearing as a sideman on other releases of the label. In 1974, the

Jazz Composer's Orchestra The Jazz Composer's Orchestra was an American jazz group, founded by Carla Bley and Michael Mantler in 1965, to perform orchestral avant-garde jazz. Its origins lay in the Jazz Composers Guild, an organization founded by Bill Dixon which grew out ...

commissioned him to write ''Echoes of Prayer'' (1974), a jazz symphony featuring a full orchestra plus vocalists and jazz soloists. His sixth album as a leader, ''Shadows'' (1977) was released only in Japan. Unfortunately, he was subsequently plagued by health problems and copyright disputes and recorded only rarely. Through the 1980s, he recorded with

Cassandra Wilson Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female Jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed wi ...

(1985), played occasionally with the Paris Reunion Band and

Frank Lowe Frank Lowe (June 24, 1943 – September 19, 2003) was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and composer. Biography Born and brought up in Memphis, Tennessee, Lowe took up the tenor saxophone at the age of 12. As an adult he moved to San Fra ...

, appeared on

Big John Patton John Patton (July 12, 1935 – March 19, 2002) was an American jazz, blues and R&B pianist and organist often known by his nickname, Big John Patton. Patton was one of the most in-demand organists during the golden era of the Hammond B-3 organ ...

's ''Soul Connection'' (1983), but mostly concentrated on teaching. In 2004, he re-emerged with a new album, ''

Exploration Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

'', on

Capri Records ''Capri Records'' was a rock and roll record label established in Conroe, Texas by Huey P. Meaux and Foy Lee in the early 1960s. It started the careers of many Texas musicians and furthered the careers of Gene Summers, Gaylon Christie, Scotty ...

featuring Moncur's compositions arranged by Mark Masters for an

octet Octet may refer to: Music * Octet (music), ensemble consisting of eight instruments or voices, or composition written for such an ensemble ** String octet, a piece of music written for eight string instruments *** Octet (Mendelssohn), 1825 compos ...

including

Tim Hagans Tim Hagans (born August 19, 1954) is an American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer. He has been nominated for three Grammy Awards: Best Instrumental Composition for "Box of Cannoli" on ''The Avatar Sessions'' (Fuzzy Music, 2010); Best Contem ...

and

Gary Bartz Gary Bartz (born September 26, 1940) is an American jazz saxophonist. He has won two Grammy Awards. Biography Bartz studied at the Juilliard School. In the early 1960s, he performed with Eric Dolphy and McCoy Tyner in Charles Mingus' Jazz Works ...

. Moncur died from

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

on June 3, 2022, his 85th birthday, at his home in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.

Discography

As a leader

* ''

'' (Blue Note, 1963) * ''

Some Other Stuff ''Some Other Stuff'' is the second album by American trombonist Grachan Moncur III recorded in 1964 and released on the Blue Note label in 1965.

'' (Blue Note, 1964) * "Blue Free" and "The Intellect" on ''

The New Wave in Jazz ''The New Wave in Jazz'' is a live album recorded on March 28, 1965 at the Village Gate in New York City. It features groups led by major avant-garde jazz artists performing at a concert for the benefit of The Black Arts Repertory Theater/School fo ...

'' (Impulse!, 1965) * ''The New Breed (The Dedication Series/Vol.VXIII)'' Sides C and D-1 (Impulse, 1978 ecorded 1965 * '' New Africa'' (BYG Actuel, 1969) * ''Aco Dei de Madrugada (One Morning I Waked Up Very Early)'' (BYG Actuel, 1969) * ''Echoes of Prayer'' (JCOA, 1974) * ''Shadows'' (Denon, 1977) * ''

'' (Capri, 2004) * '' Inner Cry Blues'' (Lunar Module, 2007)

As a sideman

with

: * '' Juba-Lee'' (Fontana, 1967) * ''

Three for Shepp ''Three for Shepp'' is an album by American saxophonist Marion Brown featuring performances recorded in 1966 for the Impulse! label.

'' (Impulse!, 1967) with

Dave Burrell Herman Davis "Dave" Burrell (born September 10, 1940) is an American jazz pianist. He has played with many jazz musicians including Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, Marion Brown and David Murray. Biography Born in Middletown, Ohio, United Sta ...

: * ''

Echo In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the list ...

'' (BYG Actuel, 1969) * ''

La Vie de Bohème ''Scenes of Bohemian Life'' (original French title: ''Scènes de la vie de bohème'') is a work by Henri Murger, published in 1851. Although it is commonly called a novel, it does not follow standard novel form. Rather, it is a collection of lo ...

'' (BYG Actuel, 1970) with

: * '' Here and Now'' (Mercury, 1962) – with

* '' Another Git Together'' (Mercury, 1962) – with Art Farmer * ''

Pop + Jazz = Swing Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

'' (Audio Fidelity, 1962) – later version as ''Just Jazz!'' * ''

Stockholm Sojourn ''Stockholm Sojourn'' is an album by the International Jazz Orchestra directed by Benny Golson which was recorded in Sweden in 1964 and originally released on the Prestige label.

'' (Prestige, 1965) with

: * ''

My Point of View ''My Point of View'' is the second album by pianist Herbie Hancock. It was released in 1963 on Blue Note Records as BLP 4126 and BST 84126. Musicians featured are trumpeter Donald Byrd, trombonist Grachan Moncur III, tenor saxophonist Hank Mo ...

'' (Blue Note, 1963) with

: * ''Safe'' (Red, 1979) * ''Beautiful Africa'' (Soul Note, 1979) * ''Live at Nyon'' (Cadence Jazz, 1981) with

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

: * '' The Kicker'' (Milestone, 1967) with

Khan Jamal Khan Jamal (July 23, 1946 – January 10, 2022), born Warren Robert Cheeseboro, was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. He founded the band Sounds of Liberation in 1970. He was described by Ron Wynn as "a proficient soloist when p ...

: * ''Black Awareness'' (CIMP, 2005) with

: * ''

Decision in Paradise ''Decision in Paradise'' is an album by Frank Lowe recorded in 1984 and released on the Soul Note label.Jackie McLean John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their deat ...

: * ''

'' (Blue Note, 1963) * '' Destination... Out!'' (Blue Note, 1964) * '' 'Bout Soul'' (Blue Note, 1967) * '' Hipnosis'' (Blue Note, 1967) with

: * '' The Last Session'' (Blue Note, 1971) with

Butch Morris Lawrence Douglas "Butch" Morris (February 10, 1947 – January 29, 2013) was an American cornetist, composer and conductor. He was known for pioneering his structural improvisation method, ''Conduction'', which he utilized on many recordings. B ...

: * ''In Touch... but out of Reach'' (Kharma, 1982) with

Sunny Murray James Marcellus Arthur "Sunny" Murray (September 21, 1936 – December 7, 2017) was an American musician, and was one of the pioneers of the free jazz style of drumming. Biography Murray was born in Idabel, Oklahoma, where he was raised by an ...

: * ''

Homage to Africa ''Homage to Africa'' (also released as ''Hommage to Africa'') is an album by American free jazz drummer Sunny Murray. It was recorded in Paris in August 1969, and released on the BYG Records, BYG Actuel label in 1970. On the album, Murray is joined ...

'' (BYG Actuel, 1969) with

and

Romulus Romulus () was the legendary foundation of Rome, founder and King of Rome, first king of Ancient Rome, Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus ...

: * ''Change of the Century Orchestra'' (JAS, 1999) with Paris Reunion Band: * ''For Klook'' (Gazell, 1987) with William Parker: * '' In Order to Survive'' (Black Saint, 1995) with John Patton: * ''

Soul Connection ''Soul Connection'' is an album by American organist John Patton recorded in 1983 and released on the Nilva label. Reception The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 3½ stars and stated "It is the lost gem in his catalog and showca ...

'' (Nilva, 1983) with The Reunion Legacy Band: * ''The Legacy'' (Early Bird, 1991) with

: * ''

Mama Too Tight ''Mama Too Tight'' is an album by Archie Shepp released on Impulse! Records in 1967. The album contains tracks recorded by Shepp, trumpeter Tommy Turrentine, trombonists Grachan Moncur III and Roswell Rudd, tuba player Howard Johnson, clarinetis ...

'' (Impulse!, 1966) * '' The Way Ahead (album)'' (Impulse!, 1968) * ''

Poem for Malcolm ''Poem for Malcolm'' is a jazz album by Archie Shepp. Recorded in Paris in August 1969 only two days after ''Yasmina, a Black Woman'', it again features musicians from the Art Ensemble of Chicago. This time, the tone is resolutely set to avant g ...

'' (BYG Actuel, 1969) * '' For Losers'' (Impulse!, 1970) * ''

Things Have Got to Change ''Things Have Got to Change'' is an album by avant-garde jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp released in 1971 on the Impulse! label. The album features a performance by Shepp with a large ensemble and vocal choir. The album "solidified the saxophonist ...

'' (Impulse!, 1971) * ''

Live at the Pan-African Festival ''Live at the Pan-African Festival'' is a live recording of Archie Shepp's performance in Algiers on July 29–30, 1969, when his free jazz group was complemented by several North African musicians. Track listing ''All songs arranged by Shepp. ...

'' (BYG Actuel, 1971) * ''Life at the Donaueschingen Festival'' (MPS, 1972) * ''

Kwanza The kwanza (sign: Kz; ISO 4217 code: ) is the currency of Angola. Four different currencies using the name kwanza have circulated since 1977. The currency derives its name from the Kwanza River (Cuanza, Coanza, Quanza). Overview First kwanza ...

'' (Impulse!, 1974) * ''Freedom'' (JMY, 1991) with Archie Shepp and

: * '' Live in New York'' (Verve, 2001) with

: * ''

The All Seeing Eye ''The All Seeing Eye'' is the ninth jazz album by saxophonist Wayne Shorter, recorded on October 15, 1965, and released on the Blue Note label as BLP 4219 and BST 84219 in 1966. The album features performances by Shorter with trumpeter Freddie ...

'' (Blue Note, 1965) with

Alan Silva Alan Silva (born Alan Lee da Silva; January 22, 1939 in Bermuda) is an American free jazz double bassist and keyboard player. Biography Silva was born a British subject to an Azorean/Portuguese mother, Irene da Silva, and a black Bermudian fat ...

: * ''

Luna Surface ''Luna Surface'' is an album by multi-instrumentalist Alan Silva, recorded on August 17, 1969 and released later that year on the BYG label as part of their Actuel series. His first recording as leader, it features Silva on violin along with a la ...

'' (BYG Actuel, 1969) with

Clifford Thornton Clifford Edward Thornton III (September 6, 1936 – November 25, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, trombonist, activist, and educator. He played free jazz and avant-garde jazz in the 1960s and '70s. Career Clifford was born in Philadelphia. ...

: * '' Ketchaoua'' (BYG Actuel, 1969) with Chris White: * ''The Chris White Project'' (Muse, 1993) with

: * ''

Point of View Point of view or Points of View may refer to: Concept and technique * Point of view (philosophy), an attitude how one sees or thinks of something * Point of view (literature) or narrative mode, the perspective of the narrative voice; the prono ...

'' (JMT, 1986)

References

External links

Grachan Moncur
at MySpace.
"A Fireside Chat With Grachan Moncur III"

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

, January 17, 2003. * Peter Marsh
"Grachan Moncur III ''Exploration''"
BBC Review, 2005. * Andrew Durkin
"Grachan Moncur III: Exploration"
All About Jazz, March 21, 2005.
Grachan Moncur III music and papers

Institute of Jazz Studies The Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS) is the largest and most comprehensive library and archives of jazz and jazz-related materials in the world. It is located on the fourth floor of the John Cotton Dana Library at Rutgers University–Newark in Newa ...

, Rutgers University. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moncur, Grachan III 1937 births 2022 deaths 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians American people of Bahamian descent Musicians from New York City Avant-garde jazz musicians American jazz trombonists Male trombonists Free jazz trombonists BYG Actuel artists Blue Note Records artists Musicians from Newark, New Jersey Jazz musicians from New York (state) 21st-century trombonists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians The 360 Degree Music Experience members The Jazztet members