| acoustic and electric bassist : Justin Grinnell | J u s t i n G r i n n e l l . c o m |
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February 20, 2010 - When it rains . . - By Justin Grinnell Gigwise, January 2010 started off pretty slow. However, I was happy to have some free time to get my schedule organized for my second semester of doctoral studies at USC. This spring, in addition to my jazz-oriented coursework, I'm taking a class on "Post-Tonal Analysis" and "Aesthetics of the Avant Garde." Heading into the third week of February, I had a string of (3) exciting performances: 1. Sun Feb 14 - Valentine's Day Tribute to Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald at Dizzy's Jazz Club - Besides sharing the stage with some of San Diego's most accomplished jazz musicians, I also had the honor to play with special guest, New York jazz trumpeteer, Jeremy Pelt.  2. Thu Feb 18 - ARC Trio at Palomar College - Palomar College gathered a good-sized audience for ARC Trio's improvisatory explorations. 3. Fri Feb 19 - Brazilian Jazz Collective at Steamer's Jazz Club - Last night was the first time I've performed at Steamer's Jazz Club in Fullerton. Although we were billed as the Brazilian Jazz Collective, it might have been better described as the Danny Green quintet since we mainly played Danny Green's compositions and arrangements. This was also the first time I've gotten the chance to perform with virtuoso mandolinist Eva Scow. Ami Molinelli was the auxiliary percussionist of the night and wowed the crowd with a super-groovin' pandeiro solo! I've got a couple of weeks to concentrate on my schoolwork again, but then I've got to prepare for a few concerts in the middle of March. I'll be performing a couple of times with the Danny Green quartet and I'm also in the process of putting together a concert at Tango Del Rey on Sunday March 21st. I'll be posting more details on that soon! 
January 21, 2010 - Happy "Two-Oh-One-Oh!" - By Justin GrinnellI just finished updating the website biography and itinerary. This activity really allowed me to reflect on my accomplishments in 2009 while also getting a small glimpse of the activities awaiting me in 2010. Here's my 2009 in a glimpse . . in no particular order: 1. I played at Croce's Jazz Bar almost every Monday and Friday night with Monsoon and Yavaz. 2. I played various private and public performances with the Danny Green Quartet including the CD release of "With You In Mind" at Anthology in March. Before the end of the year, the CD won a San Diego Music Award for Best Jazz Album. 3. I taught at both Southwestern and Grossmont Colleges. I taught a General Education Music History course as well as Jazz Improvisation and Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensembles. The Southwestern College Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble finished off the year with a recording session at Studio West! 4. I played in the pit for Grease and Spamalot at the San Diego Civic Theatre. I also had the opportunity to play with the San Diego Symphony Pops for their presentation of "Bravo Broadway Now." 5. In August I began my doctoral studies at University of Southern California (USC). At USC, I'm studying privately with one of Los Angeles' first-call acoustic jazz bassists, Darek Oles. I've already had the opportunity to play with some of USC's other distinguished faculty: Peter Erskine (Weather Report), Bob Mintzer (Yellowjackets), Alan Pasqua (The New Tony Williams Lifetime). I guess those are some of my main activities. I also continued to teach a few students privately and freelance regularly. I also set up a few shows for my own quartet. 2009 was a busy year! 
After getting my itinerary updated, I realized that 2010 already has a bunch of stuff in store for me! Some notable events coming soon (see itinerary for more details):Sun Feb 14: Valentine's Day Tribute to Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald @ Dizzy's Jazz Club Thu Feb 18: ARC Trio @ Palomar College Fri Feb 19: Danny Green Quartet & Ami Molinelli @ Steamer's Jazz Cafe One of my 2010 New Years resolutions is to update my website more frequently. A lot is going to happen this year and I intend to keep you all in the loop! |