Dave Grusin GRP All Stars - 80s LA Studio Jazz appreciation - DX7 et al

[CyberGene]

Dave Grusin deserves the hall of fame even for the The Firm Soundtrack alone, or even just for the Memphis Stomp and I’ve told the story of the adventure I had as a young jazz loving kid to find the sheet music of it which took me years, living in a poor country. But apparently I’m biased 😀

 

I still think that even his pop/smooth jazz work is much more worth it than e.g. Kenny G and the likes.

 

I also think that he has unique piano voicing style that is very recognizable in his movie soundtracks and solo piano works. To me maybe his trademark right hand voicing is the following (bottom to top):

Bb C F A

 

This can be used over different bass notes for different function/effect. For instance:

 

C -> C7sus
G -> Gm7/9/11

D -> Bbmaj7 / D (which he often uses after a minor tonic of the same root, so Dm7 in this case, followed by Bbmaj7 / D which is also a VI chord in first inversion and creates some mystery and tension)

etc. (it works with all diatonic roots)

 

He starts with that exact repeated right hand voicing (first without bass and then adding it for ii-V) in Mitch and Abby from The Firm:

 

[jazzpiano88]

7 hours ago, CyberGene said:

I also think that he has unique piano voicing style that is very recognizable in his movie soundtracks and solo piano works. To me maybe his trademark right hand voicing is the following (bottom to top):

Bb C F A

It’s a beautiful basis.   Russ Ferrante conceptualizes it as stacking chords a 5th apart, in this case F 2nddegree over Bb. 

Extending it to other degrees or other Chord forms is a very rich source of harmony and is also immediately recognizable in  Yellowjackets music.    

[stoken6]

10 hours ago, Tusker said:

Aunty Beeb

Educate me, what is this?

 

In the UK "Beeb" is a contraction of BBC, which was affectionately know as "Auntie". But I don't know how it became a US reference.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Tusker]

1 hour ago, stoken6 said:

Educate me, what is this?

 

In the UK "Beeb" is a contraction of BBC, which was affectionately know as "Auntie". But I don't know how it became a US reference.

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

I guess I hang with Anglophiles? And we listen to the World Service? We love Lillibulero too ... 😄

 

 

[HammondDave]

Thank you for posting this amazing music. Dave Grusen, Pat Metheny, and the entire GRP catologue of musicians were a HUGE influence on my development as a musician.
 

For people to badmouth this or any type of music, or the quality of the players, seems to me a sign of a very insecure person. You should badmouth nobody, and as a previous poster said, what record company did you create? and how many Grammys have you won? Dave Grusin was instrumental in developing quality recording using digital techniques. He was one of the first artists to create purely digital CDs of this fabulous music, not to mention all the work he created in films and television scoring. Brilliant musician, composer, and artist. 

[CHarrell]

3 hours ago, HammondDave said:

For people to badmouth this or any type of music, or the quality of the players, seems to me a sign of a very insecure person. You should badmouth nobody, and as a previous poster said, what record company did you create? and how many Grammys have you won?

 

I don't agree with the idea that we can't criticize something if we don't have the similar accomplishments or skillset--otherwise most of us could never say anything about a restaurant--but one thing I've really understood with my life these past couple years is that when I express distaste towards other people, whether it's music related or not, that's a good indicator that I need to channel my energies onto winning over myself and stop using my criticisms as a shield to avoid making myself better.

[tapes]

On 1/5/2024 at 3:44 AM, Reezekeys said:

Exactly. They hear a DX7 so it’s cheese - notwithstanding that was the current sound of the day.

 

Actually, you’re way off, it’s the other way around: it’s the older generation(s) who consider the DX7 sound as ”cheese”. The DX7 and yes, that EP sound, is very much in fashion these days, believe it or not. Mk I’s have been selling for close to $1000 for a while now, astonishingly. We all remember the time those couldn’t be given away, and were found in $2 thrift stores and landfills. 
 

It’s very popular among the wobbly ”lo-fi” crowd especially, but it’s been featured in modern hip hop productions too. Look up ”vaporware” etc. A company called Karanyi recently released a DX-like (with a twist) plug-in called Electric Keys etc. https://karanyisounds.com/product/electric-keys/

[AROIOS]

On 1/5/2024 at 3:57 PM, CHarrell said:

 

Thanks for the link! I was just familiar with Ivan Lins for his collaboration with Irakere:

 

 

My pleasure, CHarrell. Ivan Lins is truly one of a kind. His approach to harmony has always been a great source of inspiration.

[AROIOS]

21 hours ago, CyberGene said:

...I also think that he has unique piano voicing style that is very recognizable in his movie soundtracks and solo piano works. To me maybe his trademark right hand voicing is the following (bottom to top):

Bb C F A

 

This can be used over different bass notes for different function/effect. For instance:

 

C -> C7sus
G -> Gm7/9/11

D -> Bbmaj7 / D...

I'm also a big fan of rootless voicing. Usually the more ambiguous it is functionally, the more dope it sounds.

[AROIOS]

5 hours ago, tapes said:

...

It’s very popular among the wobbly ”lo-fi” crowd especially, but it’s been featured in modern hip hop productions too. Look up ”vaporware” etc. ...

The Vaporwave kids got good taste and a sense of humor. They often spin cheesy-but-tasty oldies into a dope-as-fxxx psychedelic treat.
 

 

[Steve Nitek]

Well I was just about to quit piano after 2 years when Fabulous Baker Boys came out. So I told my parents and my piano teacher that I wanted to play that!! Preferably with a blonde lady sitting on the piano! OK I was only 10 but my future self wanted that. So he taught me a simple version of More Than You Know and I have been more or less hooked on David Grusin ever since.