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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZGROLNICK, Don(b 23 September 1947, Brooklyn NY; d 1 June 1996, NYC of non-Hodgkinson's lymphoma) Pianist, composer, arranger. He grew up in the famous postwar subdivision of Levittown on Long Island, and studied philosophy at Tufts, but had also studied the piano seriously for many years, and decided to pursue music as a career after meeting saxophonist Michael Brecker at a student jazz competition at Notre Dame in 1967. He joined Brecker's group Dreams, which also included Brecker's brother, trumpeter Randy, and guitarist John Abercrombie.Dreams made two albums on Columbia. A few years later a slightly different group, the Brecker Brothers, included alto saxist Dave Sanborn and recorded for Arista; Randy Brecker had been writing arrangements combining the brass and reed playing of hard bop with a rock beat to make the familiar fusion music of the 1970s. Clive Davis, the boss at Arista, wanted them to start out with a single release, unusual for a jazz-oriented group, and 'Sneaking Up Behind You', a Grolnick composition, made the Billboard singles chart in 1975. The Brecker Brothers lasted until 1982, and Grolnick also sessioned with Steely Dan, Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, George Benson and others, and for almost 20 years was musical director, arranger and pianist for James Taylor. He also played in a group called Steps with vibist Mike Mainieri, played on guitarist John Scofield's album Still Warm '85 on Gramavision, and finally released his own first album, Hearts and Numbers '86 on Hip Pocket (later on VeraBra), followed by Weaver of Dreams '89 and Nighttown '92 on Blue Note (reissued as a two-disc 'Complete' set), and Medianoche '96 for Warner Brothers. In 1994 he had given up his steady gig with Taylor and abandoned a lucrative sideline in TV jingles, saying that it was all interfering with his composing: 'I needed more silence in my life.' In early 1995 he took a band to Britain with the Breckers, Robin Eubanks on trombone and Peter Erskine on drums which was highly praised and broadcast on Radio 3; Cook & Morton's Penguin Guide To Jazz praised Grolnick's playing and composition on 1990s albums, but his early death put an end to his development. |