John Gross (''né'' John Curtis Gross; born on May 30, 1944 in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

) is an American saxophone, flute and clarinet player. He is the creator of a notational method called '' Multiphonics for the Saxophone''.

Early career

Raised in a musical family, he launched his professional career at age 8 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, playing clarinet for the L.A. County Parks and Recreation Youth Orchestra. Gross studied clarinet with Phil Sobel and Vito Susca, and saxophone with Ronnie Lang and

John Graas John Graas (March 14, 1917 – April 13, 1962) was an American jazz French horn player, composer, and arranger from the 1940s through 1962. He had a short but busy career on the West Coast, and became known as a pioneer of the French horn in jazz ...

. As a child and youth Gross played in the Burbank Youth Symphony, All-Southern California Junior High School Orchestra,

American Youth Symphony The American Youth Symphony (AYS) is an orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States, It was founded in 1964. Carlos Izcaray was announced as the third music director in the orchestra's history in 2016. History AYS was founded in 1 ...

, L.A. All-City High School Band, I.O.F. Robin Hood Youth Band, and Sepulveda Youth Band. At age 14, Gross was playing at the Gas House in

Venice Beach Venice is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California. Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, when it was annexed by ...

, the epicenter of L.A. Beat culture (which led to a police visit, and the threat of juvenile detention for John and his date). John earned his jazz improv chops in L.A.'s jazz scene playing at venues such as the Hillcrest Club on Washington Boulevard with jazz greats such as

Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Colle ...

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

, Gary Peacock, and

Horace Tapscott Horace Elva Tapscott (April 6, 1934 – February 27, 1999) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He formed the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra (also known as P.A.P.A., or The Ark) in 1961 and led the ensemble through the 1990s. Early lif ...

, who were participants of the scene at the time, and the shapers of L.A. jazz. At age 16, Gross dropped out of the

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

, and hit the road with

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

. The band was playing on a bill with the famous crooner

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 ...

("My Foolish Heart"). Gross continued to work in top-level bands in the early '60s, touring with

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

, and

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

. In the mid-60s, Gross was playing at the Lighthouse Café in

Hermosa Beach Hermosa Beach (''Hermosa'', Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California, United States. Its population was 19,728 at the 2020 U.S. Census. The city is located in the South Bay region of th ...

with regulars

Warne Marsh Warne Marion Marsh (October 26, 1927 – December 18, 1987) was an American tenor saxophonist. Born in Los Angeles, his playing first came to prominence in the 1950s as a protégé of pianist Lennie Tristano and earned attention in the 1970s as ...

, Lou Ciotti,

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, Dave Parlato, Abe and Sam Most, Jimmy Zito, Hart Smith,

Sal Nistico Sal, SAL, or S.A.L. may refer to: Personal name * Sal (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname Places * Sal, Cape Verde, an island and municipality * Sal, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province * Ca ...

, Frank De La Rossa and Dave Koonse.

Later career

Gross spent five years (1967–1972) as house band member at

Shelly Manne Sheldon "Shelly" Manne (June 11, 1920 – September 26, 1984) was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, s ...

's Hollywood club, "Shelly's Manne-Hole," playing opposite such jazz greats as

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

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Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

, Gary Barone,

Mike Wofford Mike Wofford (born in San Antonio, Texas) is a jazz pianist who was raised in San Diego, California. He was an accompanist to singers Sarah Vaughan (in 1979) and Ella Fitzgerald (1989–1994). He was known in the jazz community going back to th ...

, and Dave Parlato. He toured Europe with Manne in 1970 playing on "Alive in London", recorded during a fondly remembered residency at

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...

in London. Gross spent four years (1979–1983) touring worldwide with

Toshiko Akiyoshi is a Japanese–American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in ''Down Beat'' magazine's annual Readers' Poll. ...

's big band, including a gig at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

. The

Toshiko Akiyoshi – Lew Tabackin Big Band The Toshiko Akiyoshi – Lew Tabackin Big Band was a 16 piece jazz big band created by pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi and tenor saxophone/flutist Lew Tabackin in Los Angeles in 1973. In 1982 the principals moved from Los Angeles to New York City and ...

was known for its wild "tenor battles" between Gross and Toshiko's husband

Lew Tabackin Lewis Barry Tabackin (born March 26, 1940) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and flutist. He is married to pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi with whom he has co-led large ensembles since the 1970s. Biography Tabackin started learning flute at age 1 ...

. Among the countless other musicians Gross has played, toured and/or recorded with are

Earl Grant Earl Grant (January 20, 1931 – June 10, 1970) was an American pianist, organist, and vocalist popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Career Grant was born in Idabel, Oklahoma. Though he would be known later for his keyboards and vocals, Grant also p ...

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, Bill Holman, Alan Jones Sextet, Piotr Wojtasik, and Gordon Lee. He has also performed with

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano", ...

, Nancy King,

Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, '' Billboard'' maga ...

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, Larry Young, Donald Bailey,

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Russ Morgan Russell Morgan (April 29, 1904 – August 7, 1969) was an American big band leader and arranger during the 1930s and 1940s. He was best known for being the one of the composers of the song "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", with Larry Stock ...

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, Brad Turner,

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, Belinda Underwood,

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, Gary Versace, Israel Annoh, Pat Coleman, Alain Jean-Marie, The Hitchens Consort, Larry Koonse, The Belmondo Brothers, and Francois Theberge. Gross received a preliminary

Grammy nomination 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 pre ...

(best jazz album and best jazz soloist) for his 1990 trio album ''Three Play'' with bassist

and guitarist Larry Koonse. He moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, in 1991.

Reception

Gross is known as a musician's musician, a mainstay, and in 1994, ''Saxophone Journal'' called him one of the most meaningful players on the 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 ...

scene.Tim E. Price, ''Saxophone Journal'', Dorn Publications, May/June 1994

Awards

* Winner, Alto Sax Soloist, Lighthouse International Jazz Festival, 1958 * Winner, Alto Sax Soloist, Long Beach Jazz Festival, 1958

Discography

As leader

* John Gross Quartet, ''Caution'' (Vee-Jay, 1975) * John Gross Trio, ''Threeplay'' (1989) * John Gross and Billy Mintz, ''Beautiful You'' (2004) * John Gross Trio with Dave Frishberg, ''Strange Feeling'' (2006)

As sideman

With

* '' Outside'' (Contemporary, 1969) * '' Alive in London'' (Contemporary, 1970) * '' Mannekind'' (Mainstream, 1972) With the Putter Smith Quintet * ''Lost and Found'', 1977 * ''Nightsong'', 1995 With the

* '' Farewell'' (Victor, 1980) * ''

From Toshiko with Love ''From Toshiko With Love'' is the twelfth recording released by the Toshiko Akiyoshi – Lew Tabackin Big Band (ninth studio recording). It was released in Japan by Victor Records and in the U.S. (under the title ''Tanuki's Night Out'') by Jaz ...

'' (Victor, 1981) * ''

European Memoirs ''European Memoirs'' (a.k.a. ''Memoir'' in Japan) is the tenth studio recording of the Toshiko Akiyoshi – Lew Tabackin Big Band. Akiyoshi was nominated for a 1983 Grammy award in the Best Instrumental Arrangement category for the arrangement ...

'' (Victor, 1982) With others * Oliver Nelson Orchestra, ''

Black, Brown and Beautiful ''Black, Brown and Beautiful'' is an album by American jazz composer/arranger Oliver Nelson featuring performances by a big band recorded in 1969 and first released on the Flying Dutchman label. Selections from the album were released on Nelson's ...

'', (Flying Dutchman, 1969) * Kim Richmond Ensemble, ''Looking In, Looking Out'', 1983 * Kim Richmond Concert Jazz Orchestra, ''Passages'', 1992 * William Thomas, ''Notes from a Drummer'', 1991 * Jeff Johnson, ''My Heart'', 1991 * Pat Coleman/Bob Murphy Quartet, ''Come Rain or Come Shine'', 1996 * Gordon Lee Quartet, ''Rough Jazz'', 1997 * Howard Roberts, ''Magic Band'', (1968), 1998 * Tom Wakeling/Brad Turner Quartet,''Live at the Cotton Club'', 1998 * Alan Jones Sextet, ''Unsafe'', 1999 * Alan Jones Sextet, ''Leroy Vinnegar Suite'', (2001) * Karen Hammack/Paul Kreibich Quartet, ''Lonesome Tree'' 2004 * Belinda Underwood, ''Uncurling'', 2005 * David Friesen, ''Four to Go'', 1992 * David Friesen, ''Five and Three'', 2006 * David Friesen, ''Circle of Three'', 2010

Publications

* Gross John (1999), ''Multiphonics for the Saxophone: A Practical Guide; 178 Different Note Combinations Diagrammed and Explained'', Advance Music.

References

External links

John Gross interview - Oregon Public Television
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gross, John 1944 births American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists American jazz flautists American jazz clarinetists Musicians from Burbank, California Living people 21st-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from California 21st-century clarinetists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians 21st-century flautists