Jerry Granelli has lived a legendary life, drumming with some of the biggest jazz outfits of the fifties and sixties including Vince Guaraldi Trio and Denny Zeitlin.
He was a keystone of the San Francisco jazz scene as a free-form improviser and led the West Coast shift from cool jazz styles to the beginnings of trippy psychedelic rock.
Although Granelli has often downplayed his role, to most he is remembered as the drummer for the Vince Guaraldi Trio that recorded that timeless classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Despite, or even perhaps because of, his longevity, the internationally acclaimed Granelli is still racking up more accomplishments. The Jerry Granelli Trio has just released its latest CD, Let Go. In support of the album, the 70-year-old performs tonight at LB’s Pub, leading bassist Simon Fisk and saxophonist Danny Oore.
Granelli last performed at LB’s in March 2009 as part of Structures Ensemble with his son J. Anthony Granelli, Gordon Grdina and Fisk.
“He was mind-boggling. He’s the third best drummer I’ve ever seen in my life – his hand technique, his volume, his control. It was crazy, crazy amazing,” says drummer Mark Ammar, a local music promoter who booked the trio.
The idea for Let Go was simply to let go of any preconceived ideas. It meant tearing music apart and reconnecting it by allowing the power of free-form rhythms to lead the way. The unchained improvisations are stripped down and minimal with every note counting, yet there is a sonic richness that adds fresh textures to the sound.
To create this kind of music, players have to function as a living, breathing unit and this kind of chemistry is difficult, if not downright impossible to create.
But Granelli found the artistry in long-time collaborators Toronto-based Oore and Fisk, who is a long-time resident of Calgary.
In an interview with the Ottawa Citizen, Granelli spoke about ambition and the pressures to succeed, two elements he believed hampered his growth as a musician. But he has also found joy in following an enlightened path through Buddhism.
“If anything I’m learning more and more to just be myself when I get up there.”
The Jerry Granelli Trio performs at 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Cover is $5. LB’s Pub is located at 23 Akins Dr.
