Ariadne’s Notes:  On May 9 at 1:30 PM PST, hosts Ariadne Sawyer and Diego Bastinutti welcomed the talented composer and musician, Nick Grinder to the show. Victor Swartzman , our super tech kept us on the air from two locations and also three phone calls. Nick Grinder was celebrating his new second album Farallon, was released in February 2019 on Outside In music. The CD captures the beautiful island seascapes with his music. For links go to https://www.nickgrinder.com/

When I was going to the University of California at Berkeley, I remember seeing the island from a distance and the sense of mystery that it portrayed,  

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Nick Grinder is a trombonist and composer based in New York City.

Hailed by Slide Hampton as “an important future voice in jazz trombone” and “the best blend of saxophone-like technique with the expressive nuances of the trombone” by Alan Ferber, Nick Grinder began playing professionally at age 15 in the Bay Area, California. He was a member of many in regional bands during his teenage years, including the SF JAZZ All-Stars, the All State Band, and the Marin and Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestras.

The child of two San Francisco artists – a former ballet dancer and visual effects engineer – he was encouraged to perform outside of school as much as possible. As a high schooler, he gigged frequently on both trombone and upright bass throughout the San Francisco Bay area.

From 2007-2011, Nick studied at Cal State Northridge in Los Angeles with Bob McChesney, and was offered scholarship to NYU in 2011. At NYU he was an adjunct faculty member during his pursuit of a master’s degree.

Nick currently works as a sideman and leader in a number of diverse projects in New York City, and has appeared at venues such as Small’s, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, The Jazz Gallery, Lincoln Center, The Jazz Standard, Rose Hall, and many other venues. He has performed internationally in Egypt, Quatar, the Netherlands, and Canada.

Nick has performed in the big bands of Alan Ferber, Darcy James Argue, Arturo O’Farrill, John Daversa, Bobby Sanabria, and the Mambo Legends Orchestra, as well as with Wycliffe Gordon, Jimmy Owens, Ralph Alessi, Donny McCaslin, Marcus Printup and many others.

He is also very active in the commercial world, where he has played in the pit orchestras of nearly two dozen Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, and has performed and/or recorded with artists such as Lorde, Lin-Manuel Miranda, St Vincent, Patti LaBelle, DMX, and Deltron 3030.

Nick’s original music aims to achieve a familiarity without adhering to a status quo. Many pieces are simple head charts, with open improvised sections for the band, others are sectioned ensemble writing.

Nick self-released Ten Minutes, an album of original compositions in 2014, and his second album Farallon, was released in February 2019 on Outside In music.

Reviewed by Daniel Lehner for All About Jazz June 8th, 2014

“Grinder’s music, as well as the compatriots he chose for the record date, seem to have been tailor made to subvert boring virtuosity in favor of making music.
His attacks, sustains and phrasings touch the surrounding musical environment like sunbursts, as if he were dabbing with a large brush dipped in red watercolor.
He’s an intriguing addition to the language of the instrument, and his first effort gives a great deal of promise for his development.”

Another wonderful musician brought to us by Braitwaite and Katz. Source: Braitwaite and Katz.