Larry Grenadier


Larry Grenadier is an American jazz double bassist.

Early life

Grenadier's father, Albert, was a trumpet player, and his two brothers, Phil and Steve, play trumpet and guitar, respectively. Grenadier began on trumpet when he was 10 years old before beginning to play the bass the following year. Grenadier's father helped introduce him to the instruments and music theory. Larry's older brother Phil began listening to jazz around this time, influencing his sibling's musical interests. Grenadier began listening to several jazz bassists including Ray Brown, Charles Mingus, Richard Davis, Paul Chambers, Wilbur Ware and Oscar Pettiford, among others.
At age 12 Grenadier began formal study of the acoustic bass, learning from local jazz bass players Chris Poehlor, Paul Breslin, and Frank Tusa and later classical bassists Michael Burr and Stephen Tramontozzi. At 16, Grenadier had a busy career playing in the San Francisco Bay Area with both local musicians and those traveling through town in need of a bass player. These musicians included Harvey Wainapel, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson, Larry Vuckovitch, Eddie Henderson, Bruce Forman, Eddie Marshall, Vince Lateano, George Cables and Donald Bailey, Toots Thielmans, Johnny Griffin, Charles McPherson and Frank Morgan, among others.
Grenadier studied at Stanford University and graduated in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in English Literature. At Stanford, he met Stan Getz, with whom he toured.

Career

After graduating from Stanford, Grenadier moved to Boston to play with vibraphonist Gary Burton. In 1991, he moved to New York. He continued to collaborate with some of the musicians he had met during his time in Boston, such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Joshua Redman, Mark Turner, Jorge Rossy, and Chris Cheek. Others he met for the first time in New York include Bill Stewart, Kevin Hays, Renee Rosnes, Ralph Moore, Billy Drummond, Danilo Perez, David Sánchez, Tom Harrell and Billy Hart. Grenadier continued his association with Joe Henderson, touring with his band which at times included Al Foster, Renee Rosnes and Larry Willis. He also spent a few months during his earlier years in New York playing in Betty Carter's band.
In the early 1990s, Grenadier first met and played with pianist Brad Mehldau. He joined Mehldau's Trio with drummer Jorge Rossy; together they toured and recorded for more than ten years. Rossy was replaced by drummer Jeff Ballard in 2004.
Grenadier has worked with guitarist Pat Metheny, with whom he toured as a trio along with drummer Bill Stewart. He credits his experiences touring with Metheny's trio as a significant learning experience.
Grenadier has also played with John Scofield, Hudson, Charles Lloyd, Chris Potter, Billy Higgins, Michael Brecker, and Paul Motian, among many others.
Grenadier is a member of FLY, a trio which includes drummer Jeff Ballard and tenor saxophonist Mark Turner. They have recorded three critically acclaimed albums. He also tours and records with his wife, singer-songwriter Rebecca Martin. A landmark solo bass album The Gleaners was issued by the ECM label in 2019.
Grenadier lives with Rebecca and their son Charlie James in the Hudson Valley, north of New York City.

Gallery

Selected discography

As leader
With Peter Beets
With Peter Bernstein
With Seamus Blake
With Chris Cheek
With George Colligan
With Fly
With Jon Gordon
With Phil Grenadier
With Kevin Hays
With David Kikoski
With Jonathan Kreisberg
With Charles Lloyd
With Herbie Mann
With Brad Mehldau
With Pat Metheny
With Paul Motian
With Rebecca Martin
With MTB
With Wolfgang Muthspiel
With Chris Potter
With Enrico Rava
With Joshua Redman
With Kurt Rosenwinkel
With Jamie Saft
With David Sánchez
With Stan Sulzmann
With Mark Turner
With Scott Wendholt
With Steve Wilson
With Frank Wess and Johnny Coles
With Chihiro Yamanaka
With Ethan Iverson
With Jack DeJohnette