Henry Grimes

Infobox musical artist
Name = Henry Grimes

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Img_capt = Henry Grimes at HotHouse in Chicago on March 12, 2005; photo by Seth Tisue
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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = Henry Grimes
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Born = Birth date and age|1935|12|31
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Origin = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instrument = Double bass
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Genre = Jazz
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URL = [http://www.henrygrimes.com henrygrimes.com]
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Henry Grimes (born November 3, 1935 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a jazz double bassist.

After more than a decade of activity and performance, notably as a leading bassist in free jazz, Grimes completely disappeared from the music scene by 1970.cite journal| quotes = no|last = Weiss|first = Ken|year=2004|month=September|title = Henry Grimes interview, July 12, 2003|journal = Cadence Magazine|volume = 30|issue = 9|pages = pp. 5–10|publisher = Cadnor Ltd.|location = Redwood, NY|issn = 01626973|quote = ] Grimes was often presumed dead, but he was rediscovered in 2002.

Biography

Early life & performing career

As a child, Grimes took up the violin, then began playing tuba, English horn, percussion, and finally the double bass at age 13 or 14, while he was in high school. Grimes furthered his musical studies at The Juilliard School, and established a reputation as a versatile bassist in the mid 1950s. He recorded or performed with saxophonists Gerry Mulligan and Sonny Rollins, pianist Thelonious Monk, singer Anita O'Day, clarinetist Benny Goodman and many others. When famed bassist Charles Mingus experimented with a second bass in his band, Grimes was the person he selected for the job.

Gradually growing interested in free jazz, Grimes performed with most of the music's important names, including pianist Cecil Taylor, trumpeter Don Cherry, saxophonists Steve Lacy, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp, and Albert Ayler. He released one album, "The Call" as a trio leader for the ESP-Disk record label in 1965. The album features Perry Robinson on clarinet, Tom Price on drums and is considered to be of a great quality representative of his career.

Disappearance & resurrection

In the late 1960s, Grimes seemed to disappear completely after moving to California. Many assumed Grimes was dead; he was listed as such in several jazz reference works. Then Marshall Marrotte, a social worker and jazz fan, set out to discover Grimes's fate once and for all. In 2003, he found Grimes alive, but nearly destitute, renting a tiny apartment in Los Angeles, California, writing poetry and doing odd jobs to support himself. Having suffered from bipolar disorder and long ago sold his bass, Grimes had fallen out of touch with the jazz world, but was eager to perform again. [Neil Strauss. Silent 30 Years, A Jazzman Resurfaces; Left New York in '68, Plays Again Tonight. "New York Times", 26 May 2003. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04EFD81231F935A15756C0A9659C8B63 Accessed 26 May 2008]

Word spread of Grimes's "resurrection" and many musicians offered their help. Bassist William Parker donated a bass (nicknamed "Olive Oil", for its distinctive greenish color) and had it shipped at considerable expense from New York to Los Angeles, and others assisted with travel expenses and arranging performances. Grimes's return was featured in "The New York Times" and on National Public Radio. A documentary film is planned, as is a biography.

Grimes has made up for lost time: In 2003 he performed at over two dozen music festivals or other appearances. Grimes received a returning hero's welcome at the free jazz-oriented Vision Festival, and is teaching lessons and workshops for bassists. His November 2003 appearance on trumpeter Dennis González' "Nile River Suite" was the bassist's first recording in more than 35 years. [cite web|url=http://www.onefinalnote.com/reviews/g/gonzalez-dennis/ny-midnight-suite.asp|title= NY Midnight Suite + Nile River Suite (review)|accessmonthday=December 30|accessyear=2006|last=Hreha|first=Scott|date=2004-07-16|work=One Final Note|publisher=Scott Hreha] In 2004 he recorded as leader with David Murray and Hamid Drake; in 2005 with guitarist Marc Ribot, who also wrote an introduction to Grimes' first book, "Signs Along the Road", published in March 2007 by Buddy's kKife Jazzedition in Cologne, Germany, a collection of Grimes' poetry, in which he presents his selection of entries from thousands of pages of his writings. Also in 2007, Henry Grimes recorded with drummer Rashied Ali. In many venues around New York and on tour in the U.S., Canada, and 19 countries in Europe, working mostly as a leader since 2003, Henry Grimes has been making music with Marshall Allen, Fred Anderson, Marilyn Crispell, Ted Curson, Andrew Cyrille, Bill Dixon, Dave Douglas, Andrew Lamb, Joe Lovano, William Parker, Cecil Taylor (with whom Henry resumed playing in October, 2006 after forty years), John Tchicai, and others. Grimes is now a resident of New York City and has a busy schedule of performances, clinics, and international tours.

Discography

Solo
*"The Call" (1965, ESP-Disk)

with Shafi Hadi:
*"Debut Rarities, vol. 3" (OJC)

with Lee Konitz:
* "Tranquility" (Verve)

with the Gerry Mulligan:
*"The Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker" (Pacific Jazz)
*"The Gerry Mulligan Songbook" (World Pacific)
*"Annie Ross Sings A Song With Mulligan" (World Pacific)

with Sonny Rollins:
*"Brass/Trio" (Verve)
*"Sonny Rollins And The Big Brass" (Metrojazz)

with Lennie Tristano:
*"Continuity" (Jazz Records)

with Billy Taylor:
*"Uptown" (Riverside)
*"Custom Taylored" (Sesac)
*"Warming Up" (Riverside)

with Rolf Kühn:
*"Be My Guest" (Panorama)

with Mose Allison:
*"I Love The Life I Live" (Columbia)

with Carmen Leggio:
*"The Carmen Leggio Group" (Jazz Unlimited)

with Gil Evans:
*"Into the Hot" (Impulse!)

with Cecil Taylor:
*"Conquistador!" (Blue Note)
*"Unit Structures" (Blue Note)

with Shirley Scott:
*"Shirley Scott Plays Horace Silver" (Prestige)

with Roy Burns:
*"Skin Burns" (Roulette)

with Roy Haynes:
*"Out Of The Afternoon" (Impulse!)

with McCoy Tyner:
*"Reaching Fourth" (Impulse!)
*"Priceless Jazz" (GRP Records)

with Albert Ayler:
*"Live Greenwich Village Sessions" (Impulse!)

with Archie Shepp:
*"Further Fire Music" (Impulse!)
*"On This Night" (GRP/Impulse!)

with Don Cherry:
*"Complete Communion" (Blue Note)
*"Symphony For Improvisers" (Blue Note)
*"Where Is Brooklyn?" (Blue Note)

"'with David Murray and Hamid Drake:
*"Henry Grimes Trio Live at the Kerava Jazz Festival" (Ayler Records)

"'with Rashied Ali:
*"Going to the Ritual" (JazzNewYork Productions)

References

External links

* [http://www.henrygrimes.com/ Official Site]
* [http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Artists/Grimes Henry Grimes Discography at "www.JazzDiscography.com"]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/26/arts/26GRIM.html?ex=1080536400&en=9aa774f1e95d98d5&ei=5070 "New York Times" feature]
* [http://discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfId=1275049 NPR Feature]
* [http://www.buddysknife.de/ Henry Grimes Poems "signs along the road" at "www.buddysknife.de"]